


B + S

by CaliHart



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: A slew of other marvel characters in minor roles, Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety, Awkward Dates, Barnes Family, Crying, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Food, Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome, Football, Insecurity, Multi, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Riley is a Good Bro, Scopophobia, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Man Riley, Trans Woman Bucky Barnes, Trans Woman Maria Hill, Wilson Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:51:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12001482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaliHart/pseuds/CaliHart
Summary: Sam and Bucky were slowly becoming friends, and he was learning that her usual quiet, sullen demeanor was a mixture of shyness and anxiety rather than hatred at the world and him especially. Despite her somewhat-creepy staring and his tendency to put his foot in his mouth, when he found a paper with her name and a doodled little heart with ‘B + S’ written inside of it, he discovered that maybe there was yet another force behind her shyness. Slowly they overcame their differences through dates and dances.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Much thanks to my alpha reader Dottie! Go read her [fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12000228/chapters/27152124) over here! Without her this fic would've been a mess. Also to my betas, especially Benjamin, who was a huge help. 
> 
> I'm the kind of person who works right up until the deadline ^^; if you see any errors, don't be afraid to point them out!

It was the week of Homecoming, and the whole school was excited. The students were allowed to dress up for the spirit days and several of them went all out with the fun. The teachers did their best to hold their students’ attention with varying levels of success. Among those who didn’t get into it much was Bucky Barnes. Sam thought she was a stick in the mud. Their mutual best friend Steve was looking forward to going to the dance on Saturday as a friend-date with Sharon Carter. Sam himself was more excited about the game on Friday, since he would be playing in it. 

Sam and Bucky didn’t really get along; Bucky had a staring habit that Sam thought was kind of creepy. She tended to wear dark, oversized clothing, and she didn’t talk much. The only people he ever saw her talking to in school were Steve and her sister Becca. She barely spoke in class, mumbled when she was called on, and had frequent visits with the principal and office staff. Sam knew she was just having issues with anxiety and coming out, which sometimes resulted in panic attacks. But it gave her the reputation of being a bad student, which Sam himself had believed before she came out to him. And then he found a piece of completed homework she’d dropped while leaving school one day. It was scored a solid 100, and the teacher had written “Nice work as always!” below it. Clearly the reputation she had was wrong.

~~

Steve was out of school for a field trip one day, touring some museum with his art class. Sam and Barnes were left awkwardly sitting together in silence at their lunch table. Sam could have gone to sit with some of his football friends, like Trip and Gabe Jones, but Barnes didn’t have anyone else to sit with and he felt bad leaving her by herself. It was really awkward though. 

“You can go sit with your friends,” Barnes muttered, glancing over at the rowdy team. “I don’t mind.” 

“Well I do. It’d be rude, and I don’t mind sitting with you. All they talk about is the next game, and I need a break from that sometimes.” 

Pepper Potts, who was in the class presidency, spun up to their table with a stack of paper in her hands and James Rhodes in tow. “Seniors? Not seniors?” she asked, pointing to them. 

“Not seniors,” Sam answered. 

Potts eyed Barnes. “You look like a senior.” 

Barnes gave her a tiny smile. “Got held back when I was younger.” 

Potts flipped through her stack and pulled out two sheets of paper. “Homecoming royalty voting form, please return it by the end of lunch to James.” She slapped one down next to each of them and strode off to the next table. 

“You got held back?” Sam asked when they were gone. “How old are you?” 

Barnes grimaced and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Seventeen. My birthday’s in March, so I’m not that much older than the rest of the class, even if I look it sometimes.” 

“Yeah, my birthday was just on Saturday, so you’re only like six months older than me? Did you start early?” 

“No, I started the normal time.” She bit her lip and glanced around before looking back at him. “You...haven’t asked _why_ I got held back.” 

Sam shrugged. “It’s not my business. Sometimes that stuff is personal, I’m not gonna go prying.” 

“Well...thanks.” Barnes looked down and poked at her lunch. “You want my bag of chips?” 

“Why, you don’t want it?” 

“No, I don’t like Sun Chips. They’re gross.” 

“Alright. Trade you for my cookie?”

“You don’t mind?” 

“I wasn’t gonna be able to eat the whole thing anyway.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Barnes gave him a shy smile, and Sam smiled back. 

“No problem.”

~~

After one class that Sam shared with Barnes, he noticed another piece of paper under Barnes’s desk. He stooped down to pick it up and glanced at it as he left the class. It looked like a sheet of math homework, and down off to the side, Barnes had doodled a little heart with ‘B + S’ written inside of it. Sam narrowed his eyes.

He had his next class with Steve, and when the teacher gave them free time to do their work, Sam leaned over and put Barnes’s homework on Steve’s desk. He tapped at the heart to get Steve’s attention.

“Are you sure there’s nothing going on with you two?” he murmured. Steve glanced at it and rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Sam, I’m not the only person whose name starts with S,” he said, digging for a pencil in his bag. Sam frowned thoughtfully for a minute.

“My name starts with S,” he mused. Steve froze and looked up at him with big eyes. Suddenly everything clicked. “Barnes has a crush on _me_?” he asked incredulously. Steve abandoned his search and dropped his bag.

“You can’t tell Bucky that I let you know,” Steve said urgently. “Okay, you can’t. I’ve been keeping this is a secret for ages, Bucky would be so mad I helped you figure it out.”

“Didn’t you say last month that Barnes has had this crush for _two years_?” Sam demanded.

“Which is why I’m dead if Bucky finds out, please—”

“Rogers! Wilson! This is homework time, not gossip time! Less talking, more working!” the teacher called to them. Sam glanced at the heart on Barnes’s worksheet and turned to his own work while Steve quietly panicked next to him. That…that put everything Barnes had ever done or said to him in a new light. Sam tucked his work away; he’d have time to work on it at home, and he wouldn’t be able to focus on it now. He had a lot to think about. 

~~

Darlene dropped Sam off at the Rogers house at five in the afternoon the day of the homecoming dance. The three of them were missing it—Steve and Sam because they got in a fight, Bucky because she didn’t want to go without them. Sam was armed with a backpack stuffed with a change of clothes and a shopping bag full of snacks. He knocked perfunctorily and walked into the house, hearing Steve laughing from the living room. Dropping his backpack by the door and kicking off his shoes, he followed the sounds. Steve and Barnes were sitting on the couch. Steve was gesturing wildly as he described something, and Barnes had one leg pulled up to face him, her foot tucked under the other thigh. She was chuckling at whatever Steve was telling her, then she glanced up and noticed Sam. Barnes ducked her head and peeked up at Sam from beneath her lashes, tucking her hair behind her ear and blushing slightly. Sam almost did a double take. Now that Sam had been clued in to Barnes’s crush on him, he had no idea how he had missed it before. He shook it off and looked at Steve, who still hadn’t noticed him.

“Hey, have you started the party without me?” he asked. Steve cut off mid word and spun around, clutching the back of the couch.

“Sam! What took you so long?” he asked, jumping over the couch. Barnes and Sam both leaped forward to catch him when his foot snagged on the couch, Barnes getting a grip on his waistband while Sam grabbed his shoulders.

“Man, are you trying to kill yourself?” Sam griped, pushing him upright and into the safety of Barnes’s arms. “Warn us before you go throwing yourself at the floor again.” Barnes wrapped an arm around Steve’s hips and turned him, lifting his shirt to inspect his stomach.

“Bucky!” Steve protested, trying to pull his shirt down. She silenced him with a glare.

“Last week you got injured in a fight bad enough you were bleeding from your kidneys, and I just yanked you up by your belt. Let me make sure I didn’t hurt you or I’ll go get your mom,” Barnes said. 

Steve grumbled but subsided, letting her poke at his stomach and check on his still fading bruises. As soon as she nodded her satisfaction and let go, Steve launched himself off the couch. Barnes looked like she was going to have a heart attack. When Steve landed with only a minor stumble, she clutched her heart and flopped backwards on the couch. “Steve. You’re gonna kill me if you don’t kill yourself first.” Steve ignored her and grabbed Sam in a hug.

“What took you so long?” he repeated, making grabby hands at the shopping bag until Sam handed it over.

“Excuse you, I got here on time. It’s not my fault Barnes likes to be early to everything. Don’t eat all my licorice,” Sam said. Steve lifted his head with a piece of licorice hanging out of his mouth.

“I would never,” he mumbled around it, taking the bag through to the kitchen and grabbing the phone. “So do we want to order food now or later?”

“Now. My mom said she wasn’t gonna feed me if I was coming over here to eat junk food,” Sam told him, going over to the tv to sort through the movies next to it.

“Pizza? Chinese? Mexican?”

“Chinese,” Sam and Barnes said together. Sam turned to glance at her, but Barnes was carefully staring at the ceiling. Sam shrugged and turned back to the movies. He heard movement behind him, and when he looked again, Barnes had rolled up and over the back of the couch and was heading to the kitchen to peer over Steve’s shoulder at a takeout menu. Barnes poked at it and muttered a few things to him, then wandered off down the hallway.

“Sam, you want your usual?” Steve asked, dialing and holding the phone to his ear.

“Yeah, please.” He set out his selection of movies, mostly consisting of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Back to the Future. Then he scoped out the living room and settled on the bean bag chair next to the coffee table so he wouldn’t end up sitting on the couch with Barnes, where things might turn awkward. He shifted around to mold it to his body in the most comfortable position. Barnes came back, muttered more to Steve, and flopped back down on the couch. She saw the movies spread out and leaned over to grab a bag from next to the couch.

“Here, I brought some too.” Sam took the bag and pulled out the movies. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Barnes.

“These are all DC movies.”

“Yeah. So what?” Barnes asked, avoiding his eyes and shifting uncomfortably.

“Traitor,” Sam murmured. 

Barnes’s gaze snapped back, eyes locking with his. “You a Marvel fan?” Sam just nodded. “Well. Come talk to me once they give Black Widow her own movie,” Barnes said, rolling her shoulders. She nodded to the stack in Sam’s hands. “My sisters cried in the theater watching that.” Sam flipped through until he found the shiny new Wonder Woman case.

“Did you cry too?”

“So what if I did? That plane exploding was sad, okay. It didn’t help that the guy was named Steve.” Barnes glanced over at their own Steve, frowning and still holding the phone to his ear. He hung up as they watched and walked over to flop half on top of Barnes, who combed her fingers through Steve’s hair.

“They couldn’t understand my address. I’m hoping they finally got it right, but they might call me back when they get to the area. Do we start the movie or wait for food first?”

“We have to pick a movie first,” Sam said, gesturing to his options and holding up Barnes’s pile. Steve glanced over them.

“Wonder Woman first, Ma’s gonna be joining us. If…that’s okay with you two…?”

“Mrs. Rogers is cool,” Barnes said. “I say we start it while we’re waiting for food, it takes a while for the action to start, it focuses on Diana growing up first.” Steve glanced at Sam, who nodded in agreement.

“Okay. We can pick something else after that,” Steve said. Sam rolled out of the chair and crawled over to the TV set, getting the movie into the DVD player and starting it up. When he turned around, Barnes was blushing and staring at him, though she quickly looked away. Steve snorted, making Barnes turn a deep red as Sam got back in his seat. 

Sarah Rogers left her room and came to sit in the armchair as the movie started, curling up with a blanket. They managed to get all the way to the introduction of the Steve character before the doorbell rang, and Steve and Barnes went to get it. They came back with the food and distributed it before starting the movie again. Sam noticed that both Barnes and Mrs. Rogers sniffled at various points in the movie, and a tissue box was passed between them. When the movie ended, Mrs. Rogers helped clean up the empty food containers and went back to her room to sleep.

“Back to the Future next?” Steve asked, picking over the movies.

“You read my mind.” Sam flopped back in his chair. While Steve was getting the movie set up, Barnes wandered off down the hall, and came back dressed in pajamas. Instead of the pink snowflakes and candy canes, she was dressed in blue and green plaid flannel pants and a plain black t-shirt. Her feet were bare, and she curled up in Mrs Rogers’s blanket and tucked her toes under it. Steve joined her on the couch and borrowed a corner of the blanket. Unlike Wonder Woman, they talked through the Back to the Future movies, Barnes questioning some things and Steve and Sam alternately quoting and mocking the movies. At one point, the main character claimed he couldn’t _not_ fight someone who called him a chicken, and Barnes and Sam both slowly turned to look at Steve. He stared straight ahead at the movie for a minute and then broke under the weight of their stares.

“What? I don’t fight people for calling me a chicken!” Steve huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “I only do it for good reasons!”

“Good, stupid reasons,” Sam said. Barnes dragged Steve over and kissed the top of his head.

“You’re our favorite reckless idiot,” Barnes said affectionately, ruffling his hair. Steve elbowed her in the side and fixed his hair while Barnes clutched her ribs, flopping dramatically against Steve.

“Can we just get back to the movie?” Steve asked irritably, shoving Barnes back upright. Barnes snickered and leaned back in her seat. After that movie was over, Steve and Sam both went to change into their pajamas and came back yawning. Barnes had cleaned up the living room some while waiting for them, putting time-sensitive food away in the fridge and throwing away empty wrappers. They decided to turn on the first Lord of the Rings, each of them nestled beneath a blanket, and before the Fellowship left Rivendell, all three of them had fallen fast asleep. 

~~

Bucky woke up at dawn the next morning, blinking blearily and staring around as she wondered what had woken her. Steve was slumped on the other end of the couch, drooling onto his shoulder, and Sam was sprawled on the bean bag chair, his toes poking out from his blanket. The TV had been turned off. Bucky fumbled for her phone and squinted at the screen. She’d only been asleep for a few hours. 

She yawned and took a picture of each of the boys before standing and tucking them back in. She headed to the kitchen and found what had woken her. Sarah Rogers was quietly moving around the kitchen, getting ready for work. She immediately glanced over at Bucky.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry, I know you kids were up late,” she murmured.

“It’s alright,” Bucky murmured back. “I’ll just go sleep in Steve’s bed once you leave, let them deal with the sore necks.” 

Sarah smiled at her, capping her thermos and tucking it into her lunch bag with her silverware. “Did you have fun at least?” she asked. 

Bucky tilted her head and considered it. “Yeah, it was fun. It was good; I’d do it again.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I have to go or I’ll be late for work.” Sarah gathered her things, then leaned up to kiss Bucky on the cheek. “It was nice to see you, dear.”

“You too, Mrs. Rogers.” Sarah smiled again and kissed Steve’s head on her way by. Bucky waited until she heard the front door close, and then she sighed and went to go crawl into Steve’s bed for some more sleep. 

~~

Sam woke up, confused, to the sound of crunching nearby. He peered around, squinting, and rubbed his eyes, dragging himself further upright with a groan. He’d slipped almost all the way out of the bean bag chair in his sleep, only his head and shoulders still resting on it. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned, scratching the back of his neck as he brought his hands back down. He looked around again and saw Steve perched cross legged on the arm of the couch, holding a bowl of cereal. He brought another spoonful to his mouth and crunched down on it, staring at Sam.

“Good morning,” he said after he swallowed. Sam stared at him tiredly. “There’s cereal in the kitchen if you want, or we can go wake up Bucky to see if we’ll get pancakes or something.” 

Sam groaned and dragged his hand across his face. “What time is it?” he mumbled, sighing. 

Steve glanced at the clock on the wall. “About eleven. We fell asleep around three, so that’s about eight hours.”

“Eight hours of sleeping on the floor,” Sam groaned, stretching and listening as his back popped.

“Yeah, my neck’s killing me from falling asleep sitting up and leaning over on the couch. Bucky was smart and took over my bed, since I wasn’t using it. Probably woke up when Ma was getting ready for work and moved then. Probably took some blackmail pictures while she was at it.” Steve shoved another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. “You want some coffee? I want some coffee. I’m gonna make coffee.” He climbed off the couch and disappeared into the kitchen. 

Sam gave up trying to understand Steve so early in the morning and dragged himself upright only long enough to get to the couch and flop down on it. He didn’t even remember falling asleep, but he woke up some time later to the sound of whispering voices nearby.

“Steve, you should wake him up.”

“I’m not gonna wake him up, you wake him up.”

“I don’t want to bother him.”

“Well, the food’s gonna get cold if you don’t.” 

Silence fell, and then Sam felt a presence looming over him before a hand touched his shoulder. “I’m awake,” he mumbled, and the hand flinched back.

“Okay. Uh. I made breakfast, if you…eat that sort of thing.” Barnes paused. “ _What the flip_ ,” she whispered to herself and scurried back into the kitchen. Someone leaned against the couch, and Sam peeled his eyes open to glare at Steve, who grinned at him and took a picture.

“Steve,” Sam said flatly.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty, Bucky made crepes and I’m gonna eat them all if you don’t get up,” Steve said, sounding far too awake and perky for…12:30 in the afternoon. Sam groaned and pushed himself upright, frowning when a blanket fell off his shoulders.

“Did you…?”

“Nope.” Steve popped the p and turned the TV on, switching through channels until he found some cartoons, then he set the remote aside. “Come on, get up, food’s waiting.” 

Steve tugged on his arm, and Sam allowed him to pull him off the couch and through to the kitchen, guiding him to the counter where a number of bowls were set out. Most of them were filled with berries and sliced fruit, but there was also whipped cream, nutella, and a few other toppings. 

Steve grabbed a plate from a waiting stack and built a small pile of fruit on it, which he then handed to Barnes, who was standing at the stove with her back to them. Sam peered around her and watched as Barnes rolled the fruit into a crepe, folded it together, and let it sit for a moment before scooping it out onto Steve’s plate and handing it back to him. Steve topped it with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce, then raised his eyebrows at Sam before going to sit at the table. 

Sam poked at the bowls, seeing what kind of fruit was available, then made his own pile on a plate and handed it to Barnes. A minute later it was handed back to him, and Sam blinked at it blearily.

“You’re amazing,” he murmured, going to cover it with toppings. 

Barnes quickly assembled and made her own crepe, standing next to the stove to eat it. Steve just smirked at both of them from his place at the table. A little while later, they were each finishing their third crepes when Sam licked a stray bit of cream from his thumb.

“I’m gonna, uh, I’m gonna go change,” Barnes said, hurrying from the room. Sam frowned after her.

“What’s the rush?” Sam asked, looking back at Steve. Steve raised his eyebrows, reached over to get some of the whipped cream on his thumb, and then licked it off, slowly and suggestively, keeping eye contact the whole time. Sam felt himself blushing. “Oh.” Steve snickered at him and went to put the dirty plates in the sink, and Sam finished eating and stood to help him put the leftover fruit and toppings away.

Barnes came back ten minutes later, when they had relocated back to the couch. They looked up from the cartoons and saw Barnes still wearing her pajamas.

“I thought you were gonna go change,” Steve said.

“Oh, uh.” Barnes looked down at herself. “Yeah, I decided not to yet. I got distracted texting Becca and figured I’d just keep them on. It’s not like we’re going anywhere.” She looked at the two of them on the couch and then glanced at the armchair. Steve scooted closer to the arm of the couch, leaving space between him and Sam. Barnes glared down at Steve.

“Come on, Bucky, sit down and watch cartoons with us.” Steve patted the couch. Barnes took a deep breath and moved to sit between them, practically on top of Steve, leaving a good few inches between her and Sam.

“I don’t bite, you know, you can give Steve a bit more breathing room,” Sam said, not looking away from the tv. He could feel Barnes hesitating before scooting over a little closer, just enough to feel the warmth of each other against their sides. He still didn’t move, watching the animated dog on screen run around with its humans. “You two got any other plans today?”

“Nope,” Steve said. “I’ve got some homework I should probably work on, but eh. It can wait until later. Bucky’s homework is, of course, already finished, because Bucky likes to get it all done on Friday.”

“That’s just the smart thing to do,” Barnes protested lightly. “If you get all your homework done on Friday, that means you have all weekend to do whatever you want without worrying about it.”

“That sounds like a good plan,” Sam said. “I can’t do that most of the time because of my games.”

“Do you have trouble getting it all done?” Steve asked. “We could form a study group or something. Bucky’s really good at tutoring.”

“ _Shut up, Steve_ ,” Barnes hissed, elbowing him. Sam raised an eyebrow, and Barnes hunched her shoulders.

“…Nah, once I actually get started on it, I usually don’t have a problem. It’s just getting around to doing it that’s the problem,” Sam said.

“We can still have a study group. You don’t have practice every day, right? We can meet in the library after school those days and do our homework together.”

“Yeah, I suppose. I don’t have practice on Wednesdays, we could try it then.”

“I can’t on Wednesday, I have to watch my sisters. And next Wednesday I have a gym meet,” Barnes said, before shrinking when they both looked at her, shoulders curling in.

“A gym meet?” Sam asked.

“I box. We’re having a mini tournament,” Barnes mumbled, cheeks going pink.

“Bucky’s really good. Oh, I know! We could go to Bucky’s tournament and study afterward!” Steve said enthusiastically. Barnes looked like she was going to murder Steve.

“Uh huh.” Sam was just amused by Steve’s obvious attempts to talk up Barnes to him, as if he didn’t know her and as though Barnes wasn’t sitting right there between them.

“You don’t have to come, it’s not a big deal,” Barnes said quickly, glancing at Sam before averting her eyes.

“Is there going to be an actual audience or awards for it?” Sam asked.

“Maybe some family, maybe some friends. My trainer talked about bringing some ‘you tried’ ribbons for us, but I’m not sure if she was joking or not. Other than that, I don’t know.”

“It sounds like it could be fun. You two are always coming to my practices, it’s only fair I get to see some of your moves too,” Sam decided.

“It’s a date!” Steve declared. 

Barnes’s face went bright red, and she mumbled something about the bathroom as she bolted off the couch and fled. Sam raised his eyebrow at Steve, who shrugged unrepentantly. 

“I’ve had to deal with Bucky pining over you for ages. It’s time for things to change,” he said cryptically, looking back to the cartoons. 

Sam eyed him and then glanced down the hall, where the bathroom door was tightly shut. Sam shrugged and settled deeper into the cushions, warm and full from breakfast, and he was barely aware that when he drifted off, Barnes still hadn’t returned. 

~~

A few days passed, and the hype of Homecoming settled down. Early talk of the Winter Formal began in its place. Most of the girls were already getting excited about the Sadie Hawkins aspect of it. Yesterday Sam had walked by a table full of girls that were giggling together and he rolled his eyes. Honestly, he didn’t see what the hype was all about, it was just another dance.

He had been getting along with Barnes better in the last few days. Knowing that she was quiet around him mainly because she was shy, and that she stared at Sam because of the crush on him, and not because she was trying to be creepy, made things easier. Even if the staring was still kinda creepy. Steve was happy about it, and was even more of his bouncy cheerful self as a result. Conversations between the two of them were still often stilted and awkward, despite Steve’s best efforts. Becca Barnes had gone out of her way to stare Sam down in the hall a few times, and he had unashamedly used Barnes herself as a shield more than once; she seemed to be immune to her twin sister’s glares.

On Thursday, though, Barnes was acting shifty and weird all day. She would stare at Sam only to look away quickly and turn red as soon as Sam glanced in her direction. Asking Steve about it got him no answers. Finally, once school was over and Sam was heading to practice with Barnes and Steve trailing behind, Barnes got his attention.

“Hey, Sam,” she called, jogging to catch up. Sam turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah?” he asked. Barnes glanced at Steve, who was giving a thumbs up, and took a deep breath.

“Um. I wanted to know if you would go to the Winter Formal dance with me,” Barnes said, sounding practiced and deliberately calm. Sam’s eyebrows shot up. Barnes glanced again at Steve, who gave an encouraging nod, and took another deep breath to visibly steady herself. Sam rocked back on his heels and looked at both of them for a moment. 

“Oh, uh,” he stuttered. He couldn’t deny the idea had appeal. “Sure, I guess?” 

“You guess?” Barnes repeated. “You just...guess?”

“Well, you and I haven’t always gotten along the best,” he said, gesturing between the two of them. 

“...Yeah, I guess that’s true.” 

“So I mean…hit me up tomorrow before class? Or text me later and we can work out the details?”

“Okay.” Barnes scraped up a small smile and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Sam! Come on, the coach is already in a bad mood today!” Riley called from down the hallway. Sam took a step in his direction and then turned back.

“I’ll see you two later?” he asked.

“Yep, we’ll see you,” Steve said, waving him off. Sam ran down the hallway, glancing back only once to see Steve standing on his tiptoes to hug Barnes, patting her back as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Sam had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to focus on practice at all that afternoon.

~~

Bucky was trembling so much after that, she decided she should probably go straight home. Steve, however, convinced her that she shouldn’t drive when her hands were shaking so hard, and dragged her out to their usual seat on the stands. She could barely stand to watch the practice, but Steve helpfully narrated it for her until Sam got benched for completely missing the ball.

“He seems really distracted,” Steve said innocently, as if he had no idea how that could have happened. Bucky groaned and pressed her face into her hands.

“Can we go yet?” she asked. Steve glanced down at her, bent over to press hands and face into her knees. He reached over and patted her back.

“Go on, I’ll meet you at the car. I want to talk to Sam first.” Bucky gratefully grabbed her bag and fled the stands, trying to keep her steps light so she wouldn’t make a ton of noise with her boots on the metal and attract attention. She waited for Steve in the car, flipping through the radio stations to try and distract herself. It might have worked too well, because she jumped when the door opened and Steve threw himself into the passenger seat. “Alright, let’s go,” he said. He shoved his bag into the footwell and then looked over at her when the car didn’t move. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she squeaked, putting the car in drive and turning for the exit of the parking lot. Steve stared at her for a minute and then settled into his seat, buckling his seatbelt before staring at the radio.

“Is this…the Spanish music station?” he asked in confusion. Bucky quickly reached out to change it, accidentally turning it off in her haste. “…Maybe I should drive?”

“Don’t be silly, Steve, you don’t have a license. You can’t drive without a license.”

“Bucky, I’ve taken driver’s ed, I think I can manage to get us home.” Bucky just tightened her grip on the steering wheel and stared straight ahead. “Orrr not. That’s fine too.” Steve casually set his arm on the center console. Bucky didn’t miss how he was positioning himself to grab hold of the steering wheel if he needed to. She managed to get them home safely, but as soon as she parked the car and turned it off, she abandoned it to Steve and headed into her house. Bucky could hear someone rattling around in the kitchen. She turned into the living room, aimed for the couch, and flopped onto it with her legs still in the air, hanging over the arm of the couch. She screamed into the nearest couch cushion, muffling her voice into it, but something still crashed in the kitchen and someone came skidding into the room.

“What’s going on?” Becca demanded.

“Bucky’s had an eventful day,” Steve said, coming in behind her. “You want me to explain?” Bucky flopped her arm out and gave a thumbs up. “Bucky asked Sam out today.”

“You did?! Oh, doll, I’m so proud of you!” Becca flopped down on top of her, wiggling her arms underneath to give her a hug. “What did he say?” Becca asked, nuzzling into her shoulder.

“He said yes,” Steve answered.

“That’s awesome!” Becca cheered, giving her a squeeze. “You did a very hard thing and I'm proud of you. We should celebrate.” 

“Celebrate?” Bucky asked, turning her head to speak clearly and look at her sister. 

“Is something burning?” Steve cut in, sniffing. 

Becca gasped and dashed to the kitchen. “We might have to go out to celebrate but we should still do it!” she called a few minutes later.

Bucky laughed into the cushions. Steve came over and perched on the edge of the couch, patting her back. 

“Are you glad you finally asked him?” he asked. 

Bucky turned to smile up at him. “Yeah, I am. I’m kinda relieved not to be carrying around that secret anymore.”

“Good, I’m glad.” Steve flopped down on top of her. 

“Dog pile!” Becca proclaimed, climbing on top of Steve. 

A few minutes later, the front door opened and the rest of her family returned. Her younger sisters wasted no time joining the pile, and Bucky giggled even as someone kicked her hip. 

There was truly no place like home. 

~~

Sam ended up getting benched halfway through practice, to no one’s surprise. The coach was pissed and the team was giving him weird looks for being so spacey, especially Riley. He slumped down on the bench and put his head in his hands. Steve came down a few minutes later.

“Hey Sam. Bucky and I are gonna take off. You gonna be okay finding a ride home?” he asked. Sam dragged his hands over his hair and looked up.

“Yeah, I’m sure Riley can take me.”

“Alright.” Steve adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and then fiddled with his watch. “You know you can text me if you want to talk about Bucky, right? Being asked out is kind of a big deal.”

“It’s just a dance, Steve.”

“Oh, right, yes, _just_ a dance.” Steve nodded exaggeratedly, and Sam narrowed his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she wants to be your girlfriend, _desperately_. You already know she’s had a crush on you for two years, since we met you.” Steve rolled his eyes. “She wants to date you and hold your hand and kiss you. Just…if you don’t want that, let her down easy? You’re both my friends, and I don’t want to see either of you get hurt by this.” Sam nodded after a moment.

“Yeah, okay. Barnes seems pretty hard to hurt, but I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. Steve gave him another small smile.

“Okay. I gotta go, Bucky’s waiting in the car. See you tomorrow, Sam.”

“Yeah, see you.” He watched as Steve walked away, then turned to watch his teammates practice. Steve’s last smile hadn’t seemed very sincere. 

“Wilson! Heads up!” someone shouted. Sam looked up just in time to take a football to the chest, nearly falling backwards off the bench before he caught himself. Maybe he should leave the thinking until after practice was over, when he wasn’t in danger of getting a concussion. He threw the ball back and refocused on what his teammates were doing.

~~

“So what was that all about?” Riley asked as they headed for his mom’s car after practice. Sam hesitated, trying to figure out what he could say without giving things away.

“Someone asked me to the Winter Formal today,” he said eventually.

“Oh, no way!” Riley said before stopping at the window, leaning over. “Hey mom, can we give Sam a ride home today?”

“Sure! Hop in, boys!” she said. They climbed into the backseat, dropping their bags at their feet.

“So? Come on, give me the details. Who was it?” Riley asked. “Tell me tell me tell me!”

Sam threw his hands up. “It’s complicated, okay? She isn’t someone I’ve ever really thought about that way,” he explained.

“That means you’ve thought about her that way a little bit, though, right?”

“…Maybe a few times,” Sam mumbled, glancing at Mrs Underdahl. She was studiously ignoring them, humming along to the radio and drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

“A few times is enough to start with!” Riley proclaimed. “But Winter Formal is so far away, we only just had Homecoming! You should go on a date together first, see if you’re compatible.”

“A date?!” Sam spluttered.

“Yeah! Dude, you need to get out more. You’ve only got, like, two or three friends.”

“I’ve got more friends than that!”

“Oh yeah? Name one,” Riley challenged.

“Uh…Rhodes! James Rhodes is my friend.”

“Isn’t that the senior in the ROTC who’s going into the Air Force as soon as he graduates? I’ve only seen him talk to you a handful of times.”

“Well, so what, he’s a busy guy. He wants to go to MIT, he’s taking a lot of advanced classes, and he’s already doing placement tests.” Riley just stared at him, and Sam frowned. “Shut up, I have friends.”

“Whatever. You need to do fun things other than football, and dating is fun.”

“How would you know, Casanova?” Sam retorted. “You haven’t dated anyone.”

“Shows what you know. I’ve dated lots of people. Sharon and I had fun at the dance, even if we didn’t really click romantically. But we can still hang out as friends, and we might even double date in the future. I know not everyone can measure up to me, social butterfly that I am, but you still need to go out and do stuff.”

“Fine, fine! I’ll see how it goes,” Sam conceded.

“Alright, good,” Riley said as they pulled up to Sam’s house. “And hey, text me about it, okay? I don’t mean to tease you, I just wanna talk. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Come here.” Riley pulled him into a hug, and Sam patted his back. “I want all the details tomorrow. Promise?”

“Yeah, I promise. Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Underdahl,” Sam said as he got out.

“You’re very welcome, Sam. We’ll see you around sometime,” she said.

“Text me!” Riley reminded him. Sam waved and headed up to the house as they drove off. He walked straight past the chaos of his siblings and parents gathered together in the living room and went to his room, locking the door and flopping down on his bed to think in privacy. There was a lot that he had to think about before tomorrow. 

~~

The next morning, Sam trudged through his morning routine. He didn’t sleep well, too busy thinking about it, and ended up almost being late getting out the door. Steve was waiting in their usual spot at school, looking for him over the crowd.

“There you are! What took you so long?” he asked as they headed inside.

“I woke up late,” Sam said, veering to his locker before going to class with Steve. Barnes was already there, hunched over her biology book, her hair tucked behind her left ear. Her face already looked a bit pink, and she glanced up at Sam from under her lashes before refocusing on her book. Sam and Steve sat down at a different table together. Sam found himself still unable to concentrate, especially with the awareness of Barnes sitting behind him, and quickly copied Steve’s notes at the end of class. Barnes didn’t linger when class was over, and Sam just waved to Steve and went to his next class. Riley intercepted him at the door.

“Barnes asked you out?” he demanded, keeping his voice low. Sam looked around quickly and dragged Riley into the corner of the room.

“How did you know?”

“She told me! Before school started, she came and found me and told me she asked you out!” Riley dragged his hands through his hair, eyes wide. “You have to ask her on a date!”

“Keep it down, geez! Why do I have to ask her out?”

“Are you serious? You two would get along so well if she finally got over being shy around you! Shit! Everything makes so much sense now!”

“Wilson. Underdahl. Would you like to join the class sometime today?” the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow. Riley turned to her with his hands still in his hair.

“So much is happening!” he exclaimed before scurrying to his seat, Sam close behind. As soon as class was over, Riley dragged Sam out of the room to the nearest bathroom and shoved him inside, checking to make sure the stalls were empty before turning to him. “Barnes isn’t just shy, she’s had a crush on you! This explains so much!”

“Dude, you’re weirdly excited about this,” Sam said, eyeing him.

“I want Barnes to be my new best friend,” Riley said. 

“Hey!” Sam protested. “I’m your best friend! Riley, come on.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I’m just excited about everything.” Riley combed his hands through his hair in a failed attempt to fix it. “So Barnes has been crushing on you, and she asked you to the Sadie Hawkins Winter Formal. Okay. And you haven’t talked to her yet. You’re going to do that soon, right?”

“Yes. Probably at lunch, I think. When I can actually get her alone.”

“Oooh,” Riley said, wiggling his eyebrows. Sam put his hand over Riley’s face.

“Not like that, you weirdo.” Riley grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away.

“I’m also excited for you to have a date. I bet she cleans up real nice, she’s cute when she tucks her hair behind her ear. I wonder if she does that on purpose…”

“Thank you for your opinions, now can you cool it? We still have classes to get to.”

“I’m going to interrogate you at practice, I hope you know that,” Riley said, squeezing his wrist.

“Yeah, I kinda figured. Now let’s go or we’ll be late.”

~~

“Hey Barnes,” Sam called, jogging to catch up as Steve and Barnes turned towards him. “Can I talk to you? Alone?” He looked pointedly at Steve.

“I’ll go wait at the table,” he said, holding his hand out to take Barnes’s lunch before walking away. Sam glanced around and then led Barnes out to the courtyard, which was mostly empty. They settled at a table in a corner as far from the other people as they could get.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about yesterday. Riley suggested we go on a date first to see if we’re compatible, and I think it’s a good idea to try spending time together without Steve as a buffer and see how it goes. I just feel like we need to have some time together first, to get more used to being around each other, you know? Am I making any sense right now? Maybe I should just stop—”

“No, no, I understand,” Barnes said. “That makes sense. So, um…are you saying you want to go on a date with me?”

“Yeah. I mean…yeah. I don’t really want to go to the dance without going out at least once. It doesn’t have to be something fancy. We could just go to a movie or something.”

“Okay. Uh, what movie?” Barnes asked. 

“I don’t know, we could see what’s coming out later? There’s pretty much always a Disney movie in the theaters, right? Those are, uh...” 

“Boring?” Barnes asked with a twist to her mouth. 

“I was going to say ‘safe’ but.” 

“It’s okay if you think they’re boring, you’re not gonna hurt my feelings. You probably want to avoid something overly romantic?” 

“Yeah, I’d prefer that. If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Okay, good.” Sam glanced at his phone. “We should probably go back inside or we won’t have time to eat our lunches.” 

“Yeah, okay.”

~~

Mrs. Rogers and Steve picked Sam up from his house just after dinner on Wednesday, heading over to Barnes’s gym. Steve explained that Barnes had already been there for a while, warming up and getting ready for the tournament.

Steve peered out the window. “Oh, we’re almost there.” Sam followed his pointing finger to the gym. The parking lot in front of it was moderately full, but Mrs. Rogers was able to find a parking space close to the front. Steve bounced ahead to hold the door open for them, and then stepped around them to get to the counter.

“Hey Angie, we’re here to see Bucky,” Steve said to the girl behind the counter. She smiled and handed them each a guest pass on a lanyard.

“Go on back, they’re still getting ready.”

“Alright, thanks.” Steve led them past the typical weight room equipment into the much larger back room, which had a lot of open spaces and a few different boxing rings. There was a small set of bleachers along one wall near the boxing rings. Sam recognized most of the Barnes family among the people gathered there. Steve walked over to a small woman who had muscle packed onto her tiny frame.

“Hi Sam, Mrs. Rogers,” a voice said behind him, making him jump. He turned around and found Barnes there. Barnes was wearing a black sports bra under a slightly transparent white tank top and her hair was tightly braided, close to her skull. “Thanks for coming.”

“Of course, dear,” Mrs. Rogers said, reaching up to hug her. Barnes folded herself down and tucked her head onto Mrs. Rogers’s shoulder. Mrs. Rogers kissed her cheek before letting go. “This is exciting, isn’t it?” Barnes shrugged.

“It’s just a little friendly rivalry. Nothing major,” she said, glancing at Sam and biting her lip before looking away. “Everybody participating is a member of the gym, but we’re under a few different instructors. We’re not limiting by weight class or gender, it’s everyone taking a turn against everyone else. Might get kinda boring.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Mrs. Rogers patted her arm. “Oh, I see Winifred. I’ll go talk to her and let you get ready.” Barnes smiled and nodded, and Mrs. Rogers walked away, leaving the two of them relatively alone. Sam gave Barnes a good look. She was wearing black basketball shorts and white shoes, tightly laced.

“You certainly look the part,” Sam said. “Is there like a uniform or something?” 

“They have suggested clothing guidelines, but it’s mostly stuff that’s comfortable to work out in, like in any gym,” she said with a shrug. 

“So you’re not color coded? Because that guy over there is wearing almost the same outfit as you.” He pointed. 

“Oh, uh, no, that’s just a coincidence. He’s not even in my group.” 

“Huh. Well, you look nice.” 

“Thanks,” Barnes said, ducking her head and blushing. 

“Isn’t that the kind of thing you should save for the third date?” Steve asked, making both of them blush as he walked up. He raised an eyebrow at them. “Well I _was_ just teasing but those reactions make me think I was on to something. What naughty things are you two talking about over here?”

“Nothing,” Barnes said quickly. “I’m gonna go talk to my trainer. You two enjoy the show.” She grabbed Steve in a quick hug, glanced shyly at Sam, and hurried away. They watched her go and then Steve raised his eyebrows at Sam.

“Don’t look at me, man, I’m not sure what that was.” He walked toward the bleachers, leaving Steve to follow. 

The tournament started before too long, Barnes climbing into the ring with a trainer who was acting as referee and a guy near her size. They both wore gloves and headgear, squaring off in the center of the ring, both of them with fierce expressions. As soon as they started, Sam found himself paying rapt attention. Barnes was fast and smooth, finding her opponent’s weak spots easily. She moved gracefully, like she was dancing. The guy managed to get her down and pin her once, but she threw him off, got behind him, and lifted him right off the floor, her biceps bulging. Sam’s jaw dropped. He’d had no idea she was so strong.

“Holy crap,” he muttered. Steve snorted next to him. Sam was unable to focus on anything else the rest of tournament, ignoring the ring whenever Barnes wasn’t in it in favor of replaying her matches. She won every match she was in, ending up in the final two competing for the win. Her opponent was a small redheaded girl dressed all in black with a red hourglass on her top. Their match was fast but long, brutal, with neither of them taking it easy on the other. The tiny redhead clambered up on Barnes’s shoulders while she was catching her breath from a hit in the sternum, got her thighs tight around her neck, and rode Barnes to the floor, rolling back onto her feet. Barnes stayed flat on the floor, rolling onto her back and tapping out. The redhead held out a hand to help her up. As the judges declared the redhead “Romanov” the winner, Barnes scooped her back up onto her shoulder, cheering along with everyone else. Romanov smiled and patted her head, and Barnes let her slide down her body to stand on the floor. The Barnes sisters rushed the ring, and Sam casually draped his jacket over his lap and stayed seated. 

Steve eyed Sam knowingly and went to go talk to Barnes, practically climbing over her sisters. She had to duck her head to hear him in the crowd, making it more obvious when she lifted her head to glance at Sam. He gave an awkward wave from his seat. She smiled at him and ducked back down to listen to Steve, nodding at whatever he said. After a minute, she squeezed past her family and came over, automatically reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear before remembering it was braided. She ran her hands over her hair instead, smoothing it down where it hadn’t already been flattened by the headgear.

“So what did you think?” she asked, shoving her hands in her pockets.

“That was pretty cool. You’re really good,” Sam said honestly. Barnes blushed and ducked her head.

“Thanks.” She took her hands out of her pockets and folded them in her lap as she sat on the bench next to him. Sam was grateful that they didn’t have to look at each other. 

“So uh, that lady with the brown hair, she’s your teacher?” he asked.

“That’s my trainer, yes. Her name is Peggy. She’s actually Sharon Carter’s aunt.”

“Have you learned a lot from her?”

“I have learned _so much_ ,” Barnes gushed. “Peggy’s amazing, she always makes sure to spend individual time with each girl in her class, and she doesn’t treat me any different from the other girls, she even kicked out a girl who was mean to me. And she’s helped me learn to be faster and more flexible instead of just focusing on strength, but she’s taught me about that too, she even let me bench press her once, it was so cool how she trusted me not to drop her and—sorry, I’m rambling, I just got excited.” Barnes ducked her head, glancing at him.

“No, it’s cool, I don’t mind. That’s actually kinda cute,” Sam said with a smile. Barnes blushed.

“You’re just saying that.”

“No, really.” Sam reached out and placed his hand on top of hers. “It’s cute to watch you get excited. People should be passionate about the things they’re involved in.” 

Barnes smiled and shyly turned her hand over so they were palm to palm, and Sam threaded their fingers together.

“How’s it going over here?” Steve asked, popping up in front of them. Both of them jumped, and Barnes made to pull her hand away, but Sam just held on tighter.

“It’s going pretty good, I think,” he said, defiant in the face of Steve’s amusement. Steve just grinned at them, and after a moment, Barnes squeezed Sam’s hand back.

“That’s great. I don’t want to ruin this,” Steve waved at their hands, “but they were talking about handing out awards and I think Becca was about to come find you, Bucky.” Barnes jumped up off the bench and Sam let go of her hand so he wouldn’t be dragged up with her.

“Thanks for the warning, Steve.” Barnes ruffled his hair as she passed, casting one more glance back at Sam before going to join the crowd. Steve took her place next to him.

“So. Holding hands, huh.” Steve smirked at him. “In public, even! How very daring.”

“Oh, shut up, like you’ve never held hands with someone you like.”

“Yeah, but you and Bucky…you think this is going to turn out good?” Sam didn’t answer for a moment, watching as ribbons were handed out to everyone who participated. Then Barnes’s trainer, Peggy, gave her a gift card to a nearby restaurant, and Barnes’s face practically lit up as she beamed at the shorter woman. Sam rubbed his palm, still warm from the touch of Barnes’s—Bucky’s hand.

“Yeah. Yeah, you know, I think it will be.”


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky could almost dance, she was so excited. Peggy had just given her a gift card to her favorite restaurant as a prize for coming in second in the tournament. The amount written on the back was enough for two people. She bit her lip and looked over at Sam, who was still sitting on the bench with Steve. She glanced around and then slipped away from the crowd to walk over to him.

“Bucky, where are you going?” Peggy asked. “We’re not done!”

“Just a sec, Miss Peggy,” Bucky tossed over her shoulder, hurrying over to Sam. The boys stood up as she approached, Sam draping his jacket over his arm so it still hung in front of him.

“Hi Buck,” Steve said, raising his eyebrows before peering behind her.

“Hey,” she said breathlessly to Sam. “I got this, um, this gift card. To Friendly’s. Would you like to go? With me? As a date?” Sam blinked at her and then the card she was holding up.

“Uh, sure? We could go to a movie after,” he said.

“Okay, great. That’s um, that’s really great.” She started to turn away and then turned back. “This Saturday okay?”

“Saturday’s fine,” Sam said, licking his lower lip and smiling. Bucky’s eyes darted down to it and she carefully held back a whimper.

“Great!” She winced as her voice broke. Before she could lose her nerve, she darted forward and kissed his cheek. “Okay, great, see you!” she called as she practically ran back to Peggy, her face warm.

~~

Bucky was anxious the entire rest of the week leading up to Saturday. Becca had to talk her down from canceling half a dozen times. Steve just resorted to sitting on her phone and holding her hand while she tried to keep her breathing steady. One time Bucky had to shove her phone at Alice and scream into a pillow when she was trying to finalize plans with Sam. When she emerged from the pillow, Alice had texted Sam six times and told him to pick Bucky up at 3:30 for the movie, ‘which should come before dinner, dummy’ and signed it ‘- Alice, the best sister’. On Saturday morning, Becca made sure Bucky had a good breakfast and then marched her into the bathroom to shower and shave her legs, watching critically to make sure she didn’t miss a spot and helping with the hard to reach places.

Alice brought them lunch at noon, bringing it straight into the bathroom where Becca had half of Bucky’s hair pinned up. It took half an hour of them arguing over Bucky’s head and three tries before they settled on a hairstyle, while Bucky sat quietly eating her lunch and didn’t complain when one of them accidentally got her skin with the curling iron. She barely noticed them passing her phone between them as she stood in front of her closet, staring in despair at her clothes. Her sisters steered her to a seat on the bed, and Alice dug around for her favorite black skinny jeans while Becca flipped through her shirts. She pulled out a loose white shirt with a low neck, and then followed it with a variation on Bucky’s usual familiar black jacket, one that looked “less like armor and more huggable”. Alice paired it with her new dark blue tennis shoes and a necklace she’d gotten on her last birthday from Uncle Bobby. The necklace was cold against her chest when she tucked it under her shirt.

She brushed her teeth, changed her clothes, and sat still while Becca applied eyeliner, a bit of mascara, and lip gloss for her, and then the doorbell rang and Bucky gripped her seat.

“I’m gonna be sick,” she groaned.

“No you’re not. You’re going to pick yourself up, walk to the door, and go on your date with the boy and have a great time. Or else.” Becca kissed her forehead and pulled her to her feet, helping her into the jacket and following her downstairs. Georgie and Rachel had beaten Alice to the door, so Sam was standing in the hallway, and Bucky almost tripped down the last few steps when she saw him, only saved by Becca grabbing her shoulders. He was wearing a red sweater with the sleeves pushed up and the collar of his white shirt peeking out of the neck. Bucky felt like she could melt right there in the hallway. 

~~

Darlene hadn’t driven away when she dropped Sam off at the Barnes house, instead idling in her car in front of the house so she could watch him meet his date. Sam felt more than a little embarrassed when he rang the doorbell. Screams of “I’ll get it!” made him wince just before the door was yanked open and the two youngest Barnes sisters grinned up at him.

“Hi Sam!” they chorused, grabbing his hands and dragging him into the house. The middle sister hurried down the stairs.

“I was supposed to answer it!” she protested, glaring at her younger sisters.

“Snooze you lose!” one of them (Rachel?) said, sticking her tongue out.

“Georgia!” Mrs. Barnes reprimanded. Not-Rachel looked sheepish for a second before turning back to Sam.

“You’re going on a date with Bucky! She’s been so nervous she hasn’t left her room since breakfast.”

“That’s because she’s been getting ready!” the middle sister said.

“All day?” the youngest asked. That had to be the one that was Rachel.

“Don’t mind them, dear,” Mrs. Barnes said, shooing her daughters out of the way to approach him. “It’s Sam, isn’t it?”

“Yes ma’am, Sam Wilson.” He wasn’t sure what to do with himself, but she just hugged him and then reached up to fix his collar.

“Bucky has been looking forward to this for a while,” she said, smiling at him.

“Me too,” Sam said honestly, trying to squash the nervousness. He stopped and stared as Bucky and Becca walked down the last few steps. Bucky was wearing tight pants for once, or maybe Sam had just never noticed that she had legs for days. Her white shirt fell to her thighs and the neckline gave just a hint of cleavage. Her hair was gently curled and her lips were shiny with something. Sam thought he might have to excuse himself.

“Hi Sam,” she said shyly, ducking her head so that her curls swung around her face.

“Hi,” he echoed mindlessly, and then he shook himself, giving her another once-over. “Wow. You—you look _great_.” Bucky blushed and smiled at him, tucking her hair back.

“Thanks. You look great too.”

“Awww, so sweet,” Becca cooed and promptly received an elbow to the ribs from her twin. Somehow Bucky made the move look classy, all without looking away from Sam as Becca clutched her ribs and leaned against the wall, groaning.

“Should we get going?” Bucky asked. “We don’t want to be late.”

“You have your phone, keys, and wallet?” Mrs. Barnes asked before Sam could answer. Bucky quickly patted down her pockets.

“Yes, Ma.”

“Okay. You two have a good time. Let me know if you’re going to be out late,” Mrs. Barnes said, coming closer to kiss her cheek.

“Ma,” Bucky complained while leaning down so she could reach easier.

“Oh hush. I was a teenager once too, I know how it is.” She kissed both of Bucky’s cheeks before letting her go. “Go on now or you’ll be late.” Bucky herded Sam to the door and outside before anyone else could stop them, taking a deep breath once the door closed.

“Sorry about that.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I know how moms are.” He pointed to where Darlene was still idling in front of the house. She waved to them, and Bucky and Sam waved back before heading for Bucky’s car. Darlene didn’t drive away until they’d pulled out of the driveway and started in the other direction. They sat in awkward silence for a while before Sam decided he’d have to break it.

“So what movie are we going to see?” he asked.

“Oh, uh, I figured we could see Leap? It’s about a pair of orphan kids. The girl wants to be a ballerina and the boy wants to be an inventor, and they become friends. It sounded good.” Bucky tucked her hair back and turned a corner, avoiding his eyes. Sam pulled his phone out and looked it up, finding a trailer to watch.

“Huh. Okay. Sure, let’s go see that.”

“Okay.” They went quiet again until they got to the theater. The parking lot was nearly empty for how early they were, but Sam told himself that just meant they’d get to pick the best seats when they got inside. Bucky pulled out a membership card for a discount on the tickets and had paid for them before Sam realized, so when they got to the concessions, he put his hand on her wrist when she reached for her wallet.

“Let me pay for this,” he insisted. Bucky frowned.

“But I’m the one that asked you out, I should be paying,” she argued.

“You already got the tickets and you’re getting dinner later, I can handle one popcorn and two drinks.”

“Okay, fine,” Bucky said, dropping her voice. Sam frowned and looked up, noticing her attention had been drawn elsewhere. There was a couple standing near the doors, a man and woman, who were looking at them and whispering to each other. 

Sam could practically see Bucky shrink in on herself, tucking her elbows close to her sides, hunching her shoulders, and jerking her head just to shake her hair in front of her face to hide behind it. Sam frowned at them and took Bucky’s drink from the counter, handing it to her.

“Why don’t you go find us some seats, honey?” Sam suggested. “I’ll be right there.” Bucky took her drink and shuffled away, her face pink. Sam waited until she rounded the corner to hand money to the cashier, who handed his change back with a wry smile. Sam took his drink and the popcorn and followed Bucky’s path, finding her in the middle of the top row of their theater. It was empty aside from the two of them, so Sam put down the popcorn and drink and carefully took Bucky’s face in his hands. Her eyes were looking wet.

“Don’t let them get to you. It doesn’t matter what some strangers think. As long as you know who you are, that’s all that matters.” He brushed a thumb under her eye. Bucky swiped at her eyes, their hands brushing, and then leaned in quick. Sam jerked in surprise, messing up her aim so that when she kissed his cheek, the corners of their mouths touched. They both blushed and looked away from each other, staring at the ads on the screen for a few minutes.

“Thank you, Sam,” Bucky said softly. “That means a lot.”

“It was nothing, really,” he said, trying to hide how affected he was.

“Maybe it was nothing to you,” she murmured. Sam hesitated and then put his hand on her knee. Bucky jumped and lifted his hand to wrap it in her own, giving it a squeeze. Sam smiled and squeezed back. Neither one let go even as the theater filled, holding on clear until the credits rolled. They were the last two to leave the theater, ducking around the employees coming in to clean before the next showing. They tossed their trash in the nearest garbage can and went outside, blinking in the brightness after the dark of the theater. Sunset was still another two hours away. They decided to walk to the restaurant since it was nearby, close enough to brush shoulders and hold hands. Bucky kept looking at him and smiling as they walked, and Sam couldn’t help smiling back.

“Hi Bucky!” a hostess greeted as soon as they stepped inside. She started to speak and then caught sight of Sam coming in behind her. “Oooh, here on a date?” The hostess grinned and winked at them. She picked up two menus. “Would you like a booth or a table?”

“Booth, please,” Bucky said.

“Right this way.” She smiled and led them into the restaurant, finding a small booth in the back for them. “Your server will be along shortly. Enjoy!” She gave Bucky another wink and went back to the front. Sam raised his eyebrows.

“You a regular here?” he asked.

“Um, yeah. This is my favorite restaurant.” She flipped open her menu and hid her face behind it. Sam chuckled and looked at his own menu.

“Wow, there’s some…interesting stuff in here. I think I’ll play it safe this time and just get a burger.” He glanced up to see Bucky was peeking over her menu at him. Only her eyes were visible but he could still tell she was smiling.

“Okay. As long as you get some of the ice cream afterwards. Their ice cream is the best.” 

Sam raised his eyebrows, intrigued, and flipped to the back to find the desserts. “Those sundaes look good.”

“They _are_ ,” Bucky enthused. A waitress appeared next to the table, brushing her brown hair back over her shoulder, brown eyes smiling at them behind her glasses. Sam noticed a tattoo on her arm; stars, moon, and planets in minimalist style. 

“Hi! I’m Dottie and I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get for you guys?” she asked, pen at the ready. Bucky lowered her menu and Dottie did a double take. “Bucky?” She glanced over at Sam and smirked. “Hot date?” Bucky groaned and hid behind her menu again. Dottie turned to Sam. “What can I get you, handsome?”

“Uh, can I get the bacon cheeseburger?”

“And to drink?” Sam floundered for a second.

“What do you have?” he asked.

“We have Coke products, lemonade, iced tea, coffee, and milk.”

“…Could you give me a second?”

“Sure! What about you, Bucky?”

“I want the raspberry iced tea with the crispy chicken club sandwich, and loaded waffle fries as a starter. We’ll share that. And we’ll want the dessert menu later,” Bucky answered smoothly, having emerged from her menu.

“Alright.” Dottie turned back to Sam.

“Um, strawberry lemonade?” he said.

“Coming right up!” Dottie took their menus and whirled away. Sam sat back and looked at Bucky.

“They sure do fit the name of the place,” he said. 

Bucky giggled. “That’s partly why I like it here so much. Everyone is so friendly at Friendly’s.” 

Sam nodded and reached for a sugar packet, turning it in his fingers as they waited.

“So…your mom seemed cool with the idea of you staying out late on the first date,” he said. Bucky groaned and passed her hand over her eyes.

“My parents. I love them, and they’re supportive, but sometimes they’re a little too understanding, you know?” She glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot. “When my dad gave me the sex talk, he told me I could ask him to buy me condoms anytime I wanted without question.”

“Really? Did you take him up on it?” Sam asked.

“No! That would be too embarrassing. If I wanted condoms I could buy them myself or make Steve do it, his mom gets free ones from the clinic. And besides, that was before I came out to my parents.”

“How old were you?”

“Like, twelve?”

“Your dad offered to buy you condoms at _twelve_?”

“I know, right! What 12-year-old is gonna want condoms? I think they thought I was gay for Steve at the time, but Steve was only _eleven_. Like I know some people start young but, come on.”

“When did you come out to them?”

“A year later, when I was 13. Becca already knew by then, and so did Steve, and I’m pretty sure my parents and Mrs. Rogers suspected, but they let me come out in my own time. Oh but, geez, my mom tried to give me a second sex talk after that.”

“What, seriously?”

“Yeah! I’m not ashamed to admit I ran away. The talk my dad gave me was still relevant, anyway, and anything I wanted to know about things he didn’t tell me, I could find out from Becca or Steve or the internet. We did end up having a talk, but the only time she mentioned stuff in pants is when she asked if I wanted surgery. I think Becca talked to her about it, and maybe Mrs. Rogers too.”

Their drinks and starter were delivered to their table then, and Bucky immediately took a sip while Sam poked at the fries.

“Is there bacon on these?” he asked.

“Yes, they are so good. Sometimes I come here just for these.” Bucky took one and began eating, and Sam followed her example. She smiled at whatever his face was doing, and they made a solid dent in the fries by the time their sandwiches arrived. Talking was set aside in favor of eating. Dottie came by to refill their drinks and drop off the dessert menu, but didn’t bother them aside from that. By the time they got through dinner and dessert (a caramel sundae for Sam and something called a "Forbidden Chocolate Crunch" sundae for Bucky; Bucky had let him try it and Sam decided he needed to get one for himself next time), their voices were starting to get rough from talking and laughing for so long. Their feet were hooked together under the table since their hands were too busy with the food to hold onto each other. 

Dottie looked amused when she dropped off the check. They both contributed to the tip they left for her on the table, and Sam stood close while Bucky paid at the front counter. The sun was low in the sky when they stepped outside, approaching sunset. Sam automatically reached for her hand as they started the walk back to the car, and Bucky beamed at him. On the drive to the Wilson house, Sam kept his hand on the center console, so Bucky could cover it with her own when she didn’t need both hands to drive. When they arrived, she turned the car off and stepped out with him, walking him up to the front door.

“I had a really good time tonight,” Sam said, looking up at her.

“Me too,” Bucky said, smiling. Her face was painted in the colors of the sunset.

“We should do this again soon.”

“Next Saturday?” Bucky asked with a grin.

“Yeah, I’ll see if I’m free.” Sam grinned back. “I’ll text you tomorrow, okay?” He put his hand on the doorknob and Bucky glanced at it.

“Okay.” She took a half step back, then moved forward again, and Sam tilted his chin up to meet her as she leaned down and kissed him. Bucky’s hands cupped his jaw, and Sam wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from moving away too soon. His other hand found its way up into her curly brown hair, fingertips pressed to her scalp. Bucky moaned and tilted her head, their lips sliding together wetly. Sam shivered. It was getting colder out with the sun setting, but Bucky’s body pressed to his was keeping the front of him warm. Eventually they pulled away, tipping their foreheads together as they tried to catch their breath. They were took close to really see each other, but Sam could see a hint of Bucky’s blue-gray eyes. He chuckled and she lifted her head. If Sam had caught his breath, he would have lost it again at the sight of her smile.

“Goodnight Sam,” she murmured sweetly.

“Goodnight, Bucky.” He let go of her hair and reluctantly stepped back, watching her tuck her hands into her pockets before letting himself into the house. He immediately moved to the window to watch for her. Bucky took a moment to step away from the door and go back to her car, and Sam watched until she was out of sight, even her taillights eventually disappearing into dusk. His family was waiting in the living room when he finally pulled himself away from the window.

“How was it?” Darlene asked.

“It was…good. It was really good,” Sam said. His parents smiled at him.

“Your lips are shiny,” Gideon said suspiciously. Sam just grinned and turned to go to his room. It had been a very good night, and he had to go tell Riley about it. 

~~

Sam pulled his phone out as soon as he got to his room. There was a text from Riley already waiting for him.

“Are you still at dinner??”

“Home now,” Sam texted back. He nearly jumped out of his skin when it buzzed against his fingertips just as he was tossing it onto the bed. He picked it back up and answered when he saw Riley was calling. “Hello?”

“I want to know everything!” Riley said. “Did you hold hands?”

“Yeah, we did a lot, actually.” Sam kicked off his shoes and flopped down on his bed.

“Who started it?”

“She did.”

“How brave. And what did you see?” Riley continued to interrogate him through all the details of the movie, the dinner, and the times before, between, and after.

“She dropped me off and uh, we kissed.” Sam jerked the phone away as Riley shrieked in his ear.

“Did you kiss her or did she kiss you?”

“She kissed me.”

“Tch. Be bold, Sam,” Riley tsked, sounding briefly disappointed.

“We’re going out again next week.”

“When?!” Riley demanded, back to sounding excited. Sam smirked, amused.

“Saturday, if we can both make it. I’m going to text her tomorrow and we’ll talk about the details.”

“You’d better. Also, we should have a group date at some point! Or we can have a party and you two can come together. I will wingman you so hard.” Sam snorted, and soon they were both laughing at each other over the phone.

“I’m glad you two had a good time though. You both deserved it,” Riley said after they’d calmed down, voice a little soft. “It’s nice to see you having that romance in your life.”

“Now you’re being sappy.”

“Yes, but I’m your sap. We should hang out tomorrow if you’ve got time. That way I can ask about Bucky and see your silly grin in person!”

“Oh shut up.” Riley just laughed at him.

“I’m going to text Bucky too, and Rogers, to see how they think it went so I can get all the perspectives. We want to start planning your next date.”

“We?” Sam asked.

“Sam, you asked the girl to a movie ‘if you, you know, watch movies’, you giant nerd. It took me, Rogers, and her sisters to help you two get the details down. You’re kinda hopeless.”

“Hey.”

“I don’t mean that in a bad way, really, but it would go easier if you just let us help plan things. Do you have an idea for your next date?”

“Um…we could go for ice cream?”

“…Sam.”

“Don’t, Riley.”

“Sam.”

“Don’t say it!”

“Sam, that is a terrible plan.” 

Sam groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. “I know. What would you suggest?”

“It would be better to keep the dates public for a while. There’s less pressure to move fast if there’s other people around to see.” 

“Okay.”

“Very eloquent there.”

“Don’t tease me! I’m tired, it’s been a long afternoon.” 

“Aww, does Sammy need a nap?”

“Shut up.”

“Alright, so! Mini golf? A bunch of us can go together, and then you two can get ice cream afterwards,” Riley suggested.

“Who’s a bunch of us?” Sam asked suspiciously.

“Obviously you two, me, Rogers, and…Sharon? And maybe that Maria Hill girl? If Maria deigns to grace us with her presence,” Riley mused. “It would be kind of like a triple date, except you two are the only ones dating.”

“Oh? You and Sharon didn’t work out?” Sam wiggled out of his sweater.

“Nah, we decided to just be friends. She’s still kind of got a thing for Rogers even though she knows it’s not reciprocated. I think she thinks his spitfire attitude might translate well in bed, but—”

“Riley!” Sam protested.

“What?! Don’t ‘Riley’ me! Don’t be such a prude, Samuel. Anyway, I can hear you taking your clothes off, and my mom is calling me, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow! Goodnight Sammy, have pleasant dreams! Don’t forget to change your sheets in the morning!”

“You are disgusting.”

“But you love me anyway. Bye!”

“Goodnight, Riley.” Sam set his phone aside after they hung up and changed his clothes, getting himself ready for bed. He grinned as he replayed the kiss in his mind as he climbed into bed. He did indeed have pleasant dreams that night. 

~~

The next week flew by. Sam had stopped using Steve as a shield between him and Bucky all the time, sitting beside her at lunch a few times. There was more than one meeting on the bleachers after football practice, when Riley got the four of them together to plan the next date. Bucky didn’t seem to mind that Sam was sweaty and smelly, even though Steve complained about it. When Sam sat next to her, still in his dirty practice clothes, and held her hand, she just gave him a shy smile and tucked her hair behind her ear. Riley had to get Sam in a headlock to get his attention back.

“This is _your_ date we’re planning here. Pay attention,” Riley admonished.

“Okay, okay, fine, let me go,” Sam said, slapping at his arm.

“So, mini golf?” Bucky asked.

“Sharon said she’d come so you’re not the only girl. I’m still waiting to hear back from Maria,” Steve said. “She said she might be busy. The five or six of us should be good. Did we want to do lunch before, or dinner after?”

“I’m definitely going to want food,” Riley agreed. “And then we can let these two lovebirds do dessert on their own.” Sam had taken advantage of his two best friends focusing on each other to lean in close and kiss Bucky’s cheek. When they noticed her blushing, they both rolled their eyes.

“Just get married already,” Steve said. Bucky’s blush spread and Sam felt his own face getting warm.

“Do you need to go make out and get it out of your system?” Riley asked. Bucky glanced at Sam and ducked her head.

“Trying to take it slow,” she muttered.

“Then don’t make me feel like I need to sit between you two. God,” Steve huffed. “You’d think it’s been ages since you saw each other.”

“We aren’t that bad!” Sam protested.

“Did you even hear what we were saying?” Riley asked. 

“...Something about food?”

“Seriously, Sam?” Riley rolled his eyes and looked at Steve. “Am I the only one choking on the romance in the air, Rogers?” 

“It’s not just you.” 

“...Sorry,” Bucky whispered, ducking her head and pulling away from Sam. A tiny noise of protest escaped his throat, and he turned to glare at his friends, who at least had the grace to look sheepish. 

“No, we’re sorry,” Steve said, taking her other hand. “We didn’t mean to pile on you so hard, Buck. I know that you’re listening, even if Sam isn’t. Can you just...try and focus for a few minutes so we can plan this thing? Then you can go back to making heart eyes at each other.” Bucky hesitated and then nodded, keeping her head down. Steve kept holding onto her hand as he turned back to Riley. “So Underhill, I think it’s best if we do the food thing afterwards instead of before.” 

Sam tuned them out again, watching Bucky. She didn’t say much, mostly contributing to the conversation through squeezes to Steve’s hand. After several minutes, she clenched her fist a few times and then extended her hand towards Sam. Her fingers were shaking. He quickly took her hand, wrapping both of his around it, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Bucky peeked at him around her hair, giving him a tiny smile, though she looked pinched around the eyes. 

“Alright, so we’re all good for this Saturday?” Steve asked. 

“Yep, I’ll pick up Sam and meet you guys there. I’m gonna go shower now. Sam, come shower with me, you’re all sweaty and gross,” Riley said, reaching out to pull on his arm. 

“You gonna be okay?” he asked Bucky quietly, shaking off Riley’s hand. She just glanced between them and nodded. Sam frowned, unconvinced, but allowed Riley to pull him toward the locker room. 

The room was mostly empty, most of their teammates having already gone home, so all the showers were free. Sam was preoccupied during his, so he yelped when the water suddenly turned cold. Riley frowned at him with his hand on the control. 

“Hurry up before you turn into a prune, Samuel,” he said, turning the water warm again. Sam quickly finished showering and dried off and dressed in record time. Riley was waiting by the door, flickering the light switch by the time Sam joined him. “Finally! Rogers and Bucky are waiting for us in the parking lot. Let’s _go_.”

Steve and Bucky were leaning against the hood of Bucky’s car, holding hands again and talking quietly. Bucky gestured with both hands; amusingly, Steve just let his arm be moved. They straightened up and let go of each other when they saw Sam and Riley approaching. Sam walked right up and planted himself in front of Bucky, dropping his bag at his feet. 

“Can I hug you?” he asked, holding his hands out. Bucky considered him for a moment and then dug her keys from her pocket, handing them to Steve. Then she folded herself down into Sam’s arms and he hugged her tight. Bucky rested her head on Sam’s shoulder, and after a minute he felt her shoulders start shaking. “Just let it all out,” he murmured, giving her a squeeze. Steve and Riley quietly moved away, talking softly as Bucky began to cry into Sam’s shoulder. He held her through it, rubbing her back and murmuring encouragements. Her face was red and tear-stained when she finally pulled back, reaching into her pocket for a tissue. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Sam told her seriously. Bucky just sniffed and wiped at her face wit the tissue. Steve looked over at them. 

“Ready to go?” he asked. Sam looked at Bucky, who nodded, and squeezed herself into the back seat. Steve took the driver’s seat and popped the trunk. Riley and Sam stowed their gear, then Sam squeezed in next to Bucky, Riley taking the front passenger seat. Bucky squirmed around until she could get her head on his shoulder and Sam wrapped his arm around her. Steve managed to drive them to the Barnes house without incident, bickering with Riley the whole way. Bucky looked like she was on the verge of dozing off. Steve parked a bit crooked and then they all piled out, Bucky leaning on Sam on the way up to the door and into the house. 

“What’s wrong?” Becca demanded immediately, moving to intercept them. 

“I’m just tired, Becks,” Bucky mumbled. Becca looked over their shoulders at Steve and then helped Sam guide Bucky to the couch. The three younger girls were kneeling around the coffee table, their homework spread out in front of them with a fourth place for Becca. Some cartoon movie about a little girl was playing on the TV. Sam sat on the couch with Bucky and she immediately curled up against him, dropping her head to his shoulder. Steve took a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over them. Bucky mumbled her thanks and passed out a few minutes later, her breath slowing and evening out. Sam raised his eyebrows at his friends. 

“Homework party,” Steve whispered, moving his hands like he was shaking pompoms. Riley snorted and settled in the recliner, pulling out his homework. Steve disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a bag of pretzels that he passed around before setting up on the other end of the couch. Becca checked to make sure the blanket was tucked around Bucky and then returned to her seat. 

...Hanging out with his two best friends and Bucky’s sisters while she slept on him couldn’t be too weird, right? Just a nice quiet afternoon with homework and a movie. 

“Make way, make way,” the four sisters quietly sang along with the movie, bobbing their heads to the left and then the right in sync. 

...Then again, maybe it could be weird. 

~~

Bucky decided to wear leggings and a mini skirt to the second date. It was more girly than her previous outfit but still slightly subtle. Plus with a long shirt, the skirt was almost covered. She went with black leggings and boots, a dark green denim skirt, and an off-white shirt featuring a rose floral print with dark green sleeves and neckline, under a black jacket. Becca touched up her lips with pale pink lipstick that wasn’t too far off from her natural skin color. They picked up Steve and Sharon on their way to the park, the two blonds chattering away in the backseat about some injustice or other. Sam and Riley were already there with Maria. Thor from the football team jogged up to join them as they reached the entrance. Riley had invited him to even out the numbers. Steve blushed lightly and ducked behind Bucky to put some distance between him and Thor. Bucky raised an eyebrow but Steve just shook his head. Bucky nodded in response. They would talk about it later.

There was a bit of a confusion as they all rented their clubs and golf balls, shuffling around each other in the tiny space. Bucky tried to keep track of Steve but lost sight of him for a few minutes. He reappeared wedged under Thor’s arm. His face was pink as Thor held him close, telling him a story of some sort if the way he was waving his club was any tell. Bucky paid for Steve while he was distracted, handing over a club with a smile. Steve frowned at her but Bucky just turned and walked out, following Sam and Sharon. 

The course looked mostly empty aside from a pair of younger teenagers who were halfway through already. Bucky sidled closer to Sam and gave him a thorough look. He was wearing Bucky’s favorite blue sweater that day and black jeans. Whoever was dressing him was doing a very good job. He stopped talking to Sharon when she got closer, mouth dropping open as he stared at her legs. They were nice legs if she did say so herself. When he finally dragged his eyes up the rest of her to her face, she couldn’t help smirking a bit, and she watched as his face turned red and he looked back at Sharon. 

“So...what’s up with Steve and Thor?” Sharon asked in the super casual way that meant she was super invested in the answer. Sam and Bucky traded a look. 

“Well, Steve has a bit of a...thing for people who are bigger than him,” Bucky said. 

Sharon tilted her head and eyed her suspiciously. Bucky could feel her face heating up. 

“U-uh, I mean, the guy’s already, what, 6’4”? Pretty big guy,” she deflected. Sam was giving her a weird look so she elbowed him to distract him. “What about Thor, has he said anything?”

“I tend not to listen if my teammates start talking about how attractive my friends are,” he said with a shrug. “But there was definitely some talk about Steve’s tiny ass.” 

“Oh.” Sharon looked down at her feet, sadness coming off of her in waves, and Bucky shifted uncomfortably. She looked around for a subject change and spotted Maria. 

“Hey Maria! Glad you could join us,” she said, trying to hide how desperate she was. Bucky stewed in her own awkwardness too much to handle someone else’s. 

“Yeah, my mom says I need to get out more. Underdahl keeps talking about some trans club but he can keep that to himself,” Maria said, eyeing Sharon curiously. 

“Really? That sounds...like an idea. Where did he get to anyway? I’m gonna go find him.” Bucky gave them a smile and walked away to find Riley, abandoning Sam and Maria to Sharon’s heartbreak. Sam quickly caught up to her and took her hand. 

“Hey. What was that back there?” he asked, meeting her eyes. Bucky looked away and waved her golf club since her hand wasn’t free. 

“I kind of freaked out? I sorta feel bad for Sharon, because it’s so obvious she has a crush on Steve but he just doesn’t see it. K-kind of like me and you. But I’ve known Steve long enough to know he’s never going to return those feelings, I just don’t want to be mean and say it.”

“So you shoved Maria at her instead.”

“...yes?”

“You might need to work on your people skills, sweetheart,” Sam said, shaking his head. Bucky blushed and ducked her head, choosing not to say anything. The rest of the group joined them and they headed for the first hole together. Becca elected to go first, and before too long she was several holes ahead of Bucky, who took her time so she could linger behind Sam and watch his body move as he worked. She often found herself watching as he bent over to place his ball. Maria kept smirking at her but Bucky did her best to ignore it, smirking back when she caught Maria watching Sharon in the same way. Maria just rolled her eyes and moved on. Bucky got the feeling Sam was watching her too, and she basked in the feeling. His eyes frequently lingered at the bottom edge of her skirt where it met her thighs. 

There was a bench located between three of the holes that Sam sat on when he was waiting for his turn. He looked very comfortable. Bucky had seen plenty of girls sitting on their boyfriend’s laps at school and at parks and other public places. It looked nice. Bucky considered it and then sighed and resigned herself to never getting to do it. Most of those girls had been smaller than their boyfriends, not the other way around like Bucky was with Sam. 

“You should go sit with him!” Riley, poking her side insistently, said. “I can take a picture of you two, it’ll be cute.”

“Oh, uh...okay.” Bucky was confused by how he was acting. He treated her as though they were familiar with each other. She handed over her phone when he made grabby hands for it, despite the awkwardness she felt, and went to sit with Sam. 

~~

Sam perked up when Bucky sat next to him, reaching for her hand. She looked a bit sad, so he smiled at her, hoping he could cheer her up. “Hey beautiful. Come here often?” he asked. Bucky’s cheeks turned pink and she ducked her head towards him. 

“Riley’s taking pictures of us,” she muttered. Sam glanced over at his friend, who smirked at them. 

“Maybe we should give him something to take pictures of, then?” He scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. 

“Saaaam, stop,” she complained half-heartedly, turning her face away. 

“What? I just want to make it a nice picture.” Sam glanced up and saw Becca frowning at him suspiciously. He ducked closer to speak quietly in her ear. “Are you doing okay? Do you want to go somewhere else?” Bucky visibly hesitated and then reached for his other hand, pulling it into her lap and wrapping both of her hands around it. 

“No, I’m okay. I don’t want to ruin the fun.” 

“Hey. If you’re not having fun, I’m not having fun. We can always go get ice cream or something.” 

“...I like ice cream.” 

“Okay, then let’s go.” He started to stand up but she tugged him back down. 

“But I also don’t want to leave yet.” Sam raised his eyebrows. “It could still be fun, right?”

“Right. Whatever you want, sweetheart,” he said easily. Bucky eyed him for a moment and then leaned in quick and kissed him on the lips. It didn’t take long for their friends to notice and start wolf whistling and catcalling. Bucky jerked back, blushing furiously, and hid her face in her hands. Sam brushed his hand over his mouth, hiding a stupid grin. A ball rolled up against his foot, and before he could even look down at it, one of the younger teenagers who had been ahead of them in the course ran up, so fast Sam could’ve sworn he felt Bucky’s hair blow back against his face. 

“Sorry, that’s mine!” He snatched the ball away from Sam’s foot. “Nice flowers!” he said to Bucky and ran off again, leaving behind only the memory of his silver hair. The other kid followed him through. 

“Sorry for my brother,” she said. “He’s a bit...impulsive. Wait up, Pietro!”

“Come on, catch up! We’re leaving you behind!” Becca called. 

The rest of the game was mostly fun, with their friends teasing them the whole while. They turned in their clubs at the end and let their friends drag them over to a nearby food truck. They got their food and split away as soon as they could, heading for a secluded park bench. 

“I love my sister, but sometimes she’s a little too much,” Bucky sighed. 

“Same with Riley,” Sam commiserated. He dug into his lunch and noticed Bucky hesitating over her own. “Come on, I know you—” he paused and swallowed, “I know you had to have worked up an appetite. Those last few holes were _hard_.” She smiled at him and took a bite, and Sam privately congratulated himself. She had made a few comments already about her weight, but he thought she looked fine as she was. They sat quietly together and ate, sending glances at each other until they made eye contact and broke down in giggles. The air seemed clearer after that, less tense and more easy. Sam scooted closer to press their shoulders together. When they had finished, he gathered up their trash and went off to find a garbage can, leaving Bucky on the bench. 

On his way back, Sam paused before she noticed him. She was sitting back on the bench, her hands clasped in her lap, and then sunlight through the trees made dappled patterns on her skin. He pulled his phone out and took a couple pictures. As he watched her through the camera, she moved, and he looked up. She was leaning forward now, her hands on the edge of the bench and her fingers curled under. Her hair was tucked behind her left ear and she was staring intently off to her right. Sam’s breath caught in his throat. She looked _gorgeous_. He snapped a few pictures very quick and in the next moment she stood up, walking over towards—he followed her gaze—an ice cream truck. Sam went ahead and waited for her on the bench. Bucky came back with two plain vanilla ice cream cones, already working away at one. Her steps faltered when she saw him, but he just smiled at her. Bucky smiled back and rejoined him on the bench. 

“Get a craving for something sweet?” he asked as she handed over the second cone. 

“Other than you?” she said without looking at him. 

“Hey, that’s my line,” he protested gently. Bucky looked over and then leaned in to give him an ice cream flavored kiss, ducking back behind her hair when they parted. 

“I think it tastes better shared,” she murmured. Sam chuckled. 

“Maybe, but it’s definitely more messy that way.” He reached out and pinched a bit of her hair that was now white at the tips. Bucky caught it from him and wiped it away. 

“Oops. Maybe we should just stick to our own.” 

“Maybe so.” They grinned at each other and ate their ice creams, wiping off their hands after with napkins Bucky had tucked in her jacket pocket. 

“So...what do you want to do after you graduate?” Bucky asked after a while, swinging her legs gently under the bench. 

“I was thinking about going into the military,” Sam said honestly. Bucky’s eyebrows shot up her forehead. 

“Oh?”

“Yeah. James Rhodes, you know him? He was talking about how he’s going into the air force. It sounds like a good path. And it’ll pay for college after.” 

“You want to be a pilot?” she asked. Sam smiled and shook his head. 

“I never said pilot.” 

“What, then?”

“Pararescue. It’s about more than just fighting, you know, I want to help people. I was thinking about going to medical school.” 

“Wow, that sounds really great, Sam. I’m sure you’ll do well.” 

“Thanks. What about you? What do you want to do after high school?” 

“Oh, it’s…” Bucky looked down and scuffed her toes against the grass. “It’s not as cool as all that.” 

“Oh yeah? Try me.” Bucky glanced up at him around her hair. 

“I want to be an inventor.” 

“Really? Like in that movie we saw?” 

“Kind of, except I wouldn’t make wings. I don’t want to fly, it would be too scary.” 

“You could make wings for me instead. I think it would be really cool to fly.” Bucky raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Yeah, okay, Icarus. Just don’t go too high.” 

“Psh. I’m not gonna fly into the sun, I’m too smart for that. I could just be like...a falcon. Those are some awesome birds,” he said enthusiastically. 

“A falcon, huh?” 

“Yeah! They are my favorite animal by far. I’d also like to become a falconer in the future if I could, that would be so great.” Sam glanced over and saw Bucky watching him with a soft smile on her face. “What? What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?” 

“No, nothing, it’s nothing.” 

“Then what are you looking at me like that for?” he asked, frowning. 

“It’s just...you’re cute when you get all enthusiastic about something.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek really quickly. 

“Oh, uh, thanks?” he said hesitantly. Bucky smiled at him and then looked around and shifted like she was going to stand up. 

“I don’t know where the others disappeared to, but I just remembered I drove some of them here. I probably shouldn’t leave them stranded. Or make them hang around all day.” 

“Okay, uh...I can walk you to your car?” he offered. Bucky beamed at him. 

“I would like that.” 

“Okay.” They stood up and Sam reached out for her hand. Bucky tangled their fingers together and squeezed gently. Sam squeezed back and they made their way back towards where the cars were parked. They didn’t see any of their friends on the way, and none of them were waiting at the cars either. “I...guess we wait?” Sam said, shrugging. 

“I think I know how we can pass the time,” Bucky murmured, leaning back against her car and tugging Sam in close until he stood between her feet. She brought her free hand up to his jaw and guided him into a kiss. Sam made a quiet noise and leaned in, bracing his other hand on the car next to her. He let himself get lost in kissing Bucky, so that he had no idea how much time had passed when someone cleared their throat next to him. He was too involved to pull away, so they did it again, and Bucky’s hand left the side of his face. The person made an offended noise. 

“Bucky! How dare you!” Becca said next to them. Sam pulled away and blinked at Bucky’s sister. Bucky dropped her hand to her side. “I’m telling Ma that you did that!” Becca stormed off, pulling out her phone as she went, and Bucky dropped her head to Sam’s shoulder, groaning. Sam turned to look at her and patted her back. 

“What just happened?” he asked. 

“Becca happened.” Bucky lifted her head and looked at him, then leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. 

“So...your sister caught us kissing in the park. Up against your car.” 

“Yep.”

“...That’s kind of embarrassing.” Bucky snorted and dissolved into giggles, and soon Sam joined in her laughter. 

“Aw, geez. I’m gonna be hearing about it for days.” 

“Maybe I should let you go try and fix it?” 

“Maybe.” Sam went to step back but Bucky held him close. “I had fun though. We should do this again sometime,” she said. 

“The mini golf?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Well, maybe not so much that. Sitting in the park together was nice. And what came after.” 

“The ice cream?” Sam asked innocently. 

“Sure, the ice cream.” Bucky sighed and loosened her hold on him, then bit her lip. “One more for the road?” she asked softly. 

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, leaning in for the kiss. Bucky cradled his jaw in her hands, kissing him a few times before she stepped away. She made it a few steps before she came back and kissed him again. 

“Okay, now I’m going.” She took several steps away and turned to face him. “Bye, Sam.” 

“Goodbye, Bucky. Good luck with your sister,” he said. Bucky smiled at him and nodded, finally walking away, and Sam went off in another direction to find his ride. 

~~

Their third date was unlike the others. Riley had helped them set it up at a restaurant that had more of a romantic atmosphere. While Bucky was getting ready, Steve had shown up at her house to hang out, and then seemed disappointed when she said she was going on a date with Sam. He’d encouraged her to go anyway, and not to worry about him, but worry she did. When she got to the restaurant, she told Sam her troubles, and they ended up talking about their friendships with Steve for quite a while, both of them realizing he’d been left on his own a lot more than usual while they were together. Steve didn’t have many other friends, after all. 

Halfway through the main course, they had settled on a plan of action to keep from leaving Steve out too much, and then spent the rest of the date focused on each other. Sam tangled their feet together under the table, and reached out to hold her hand. Bucky felt butterflies in her stomach and smiled at Sam, who smiled back. His skin seemed to glow in the lighting of the restaurant. By the time they got around to ordering dessert, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was so handsome, his smile so bright and cute, and his eyes so deep and warm she felt like she could happily drown in them. She had to wonder how she had gotten so lucky. 

Over dessert they went into more detail with their college plans, talking about where they’d like to go, what programs they’d like to try just for fun, and which applications they were already getting ready to send out. When they paid the bill and left the restaurant, neither one wanted to leave just yet, so they found a nearby park and walked the path around it, holding hands and continuing to talk about everything from their favorite colors, to their families, to superpowers they would want to have. When Bucky dropped Sam off at home, after a goodnight kiss on the porch, it was with great reluctance that she drove away. 

~~

When they finally got around to their fourth date, it was only after Steve had practically pushed them out of the Barnes house together.

“Oh my god, just go walk in the park or something, you’re driving me nuts! Go make out on a bench and stop worrying about me, I swear I won’t feel left out if you go on a date!” he said before he slammed the door behind them. Bucky and Sam shared a look before she glanced down at herself. It was a warm day, so she was wearing a sundress and sandals even though it was December. The straps of the dress nearly blended in with her skin tone though it started turning darker brown as it went down, with blue flowers circling the hem. She’d put on a pair of knee-length leggings that matched the skirt beneath it in case the wind flipped up her skirt. Sam was wearing a green shirt and dark jeans, no sweater to be found to hide his forearms. Bucky brushed some dust from her skirt and looked back up to see him watching her.

“A walk doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Where’s the park?” 

Bucky smiled and led the way, glancing back once they’d reached the street. Steve and her sisters were all watching from the window. Bucky hurried to get out of their view. She didn't need any creepy staring. Sam didn't seem to notice until she tilted her head to the window, and then he also picked up speed. 

The nice day had brought kids out in force, the park full of them running around. Bucky and Sam walked a path around the edge, quietly talking and holding hands. Before long, the kids began to clear out as it approached dinner time and some dark clouds rolled in. Sam and Bucky went to sit on the empty swings, lightly pushing themselves back and forth. 

“Are you looking forward to that new exhibit coming to the Air and Space Museum?” Sam asked. Bucky perked up. 

“Yeah! Are you?” 

“I’m kind of excited for it, honestly. I try to go to the Smithsonian at least a few times a year. There’s so much we can learn from our history. The developments we went through to get airborne, and how we keep working at it and improving on it, it’s amazing.” He went on, Bucky listening attentively and smiling at him. He was so smart, so passionate, she could feel herself falling in love with him. “What about you, what’s your favorite part?” he asked. 

“Oh, it’s the same. How we can see, just, the advancements in the technology, how we’ve improved so much in the last hundred years. And not just in flight and space travel, but how projects specifically designed for that has been adapted for use on the ground, to improve people’s lives on a daily basis. That’s why I want to be an inventor, so I can be a part of that.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and shivered as a cold breeze blew by them.

“That’s a really great ambition. What do you want to work on first?” 

“Robotics,” she answered. Sam’s eyebrows went up. 

“That was fast. You must’ve thought about it a lot, huh?” he asked. 

“Well, yeah. So much of human life is dependent on technology these days. We have coffee makers that can be preset to run themselves, smartphones that we can do so much with, even a self-driving car is in development. But there’s still a long way to go with robotics, a lot of it is still at basic stages. Some could even be used in the medical field. There’s surgeries and procedures that are so risky, and with advances in robotics and technology, we might be able to cut down on that risk.” She paused, glanced over to make sure she wasn’t boring Sam, and continued when he gave her an encouraging nod. “After I graduate college, I’d like to get a job with Stark Industries. They’re one of the best in the field, even though that does mean Tony might be my boss someday. Maybe I should start collecting embarrassing stories now to keep his head from getting too big.”

Sam’s mouth dropped open and then he started laughing, leaning over and grabbing the chain of the swing so he wouldn’t fall out. Bucky giggled and then gasped when it suddenly started raining. She jolted up from the swing and Sam stood up a second later. 

“Should we go back to your house?” he asked. 

“Yeah. We can...hang out in the garage if you want? No one will bother us, and we can keep talking.” 

“Okay.” He grabbed her hand and started running, and Bucky laughed in surprise as she caught the pace and kept up with him. They ducked through the side door into the garage, shaking off the water, and then Bucky ducked into the house for a couple towels and to let her family know what they were doing. Sam had pulled out a couple lawn chairs while he waited. Bucky handed over a towel and then opened the big garage door so they could watch the rain. Sam dried his head before draping his towel over the back of his chair and sitting in it.

“We were interrupted. Where were we?” he asked. Bucky frowned and bit her lip.

“I don’t remember, honestly.”

Sam chuckled and reached out and took her hand. Bucky smiled and looked out at the rain, watching it come down for a minute before Sam spoke again.

“Can I ask a personal question?” Sam asked. Bucky tilted her head and considered it. 

“You can ask, but I reserve the right to not answer if it's—”

“Yeah, no, that's fine.” He stayed quiet for a minute, choosing his words.

“You said you came out to your parents when you were thirteen. Can I ask about that?”

“What do you want to know?”

“How did you do it?”

“Kind of like this. I sat on one couch, they sat on the other. Becca held my hand.” She squeezed his hand. “And...basically, I just told them. Mom and Becca got into an argument, I don’t even know what they said, I just sat there shaking and shaking. I was so worried they were going to disown me or kick me out or, or…I don’t know what. But then…then my dad stood up, and he came over to the couch, and he hadn’t said a word so I was so scared. But he just wrapped his arms around me and hugged me so tight and told me he loved me, and I cried like a baby.” She sniffed and reached up to wipe her eyes. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay to cry, that sounds like a really emotional moment. Coming out is hard,” Sam said. She nodded, and he raised his eyebrows, changing the subject and letting the tension fade from the air. “I have to keep telling my mom to stay out of my romantic life.” He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. 

Bucky snorted and giggled, holding a hand over her mouth as Sam grinned at her. “She keeps trying to set you up with your friends?”

“Yes, it’s really annoying. I don’t want to date Riley!” He paused. “She did keep trying to set me up with you, though. Maybe she knew something I didn’t.” Sam lifted her hand and kissed the back of it, making Bucky turn pink as she smiled at him.

“Your mom’s a nice lady.”

“Eh, she’s okay.” He shrugged. “She still has questions about Riley whenever I start talking about him. She’s got a hard time wrapping her head around the whole trans thing, I think. She won’t use pronouns for Riley, or for you now, before asking what they are.”

“Well…asking is better than assuming and assuming wrong.”

“I guess so.”

Bucky smiled and squeezed his hand before letting go, standing up and pulling out her phone. “This dress is so great, it has _pockets,_ ” she muttered, pulling up her music app. “Come on. I want to go dance in the rain.” She set her phone on her chair once it started.

“In the rain? Are you nuts?” Sam blurted out.

“Come on, it’s fun! I do it all the time.” She walked backwards into the rain, gasping as the cold hit her and grinning in at him. Sam stopped just inside the door, eyeing her dubiously. Bucky held her arms out to her sides and began dancing by herself, letting the music move her through the beat of the rain. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, just enjoying it for a few minutes. The song changed and suddenly Sam was grabbing her hips. Bucky gasped and looked down at him. He was staring up at her intently, and she felt like she could get lost in his eyes as he moved their bodies together, not exactly following the music but she couldn’t care. Bucky slung her arms around his neck as the music changed again, the song slow and sensual and oh shit, she must have left it on random. Sam moved in closer.

“Be my girlfriend,” he said seriously.

“W…what?”

“I want you to be my girlfriend. Officially. Will you?” he asked.

“Oh, Sam. Yes. Yes I will.” He surged in and kissed her as soon as the words left her lips, plastering their bodies together. Bucky tightened her arms around his neck and the kiss soon turned hot. They grabbed at each other like they were falling, kissed like they were starving, and Sam held onto her so tight she hoped the feeling of his hands on her would linger for the rest of the day. A car drove by and honked, making her jump, but Sam held onto her. His hands moved up her back, bringing her close again, and she cupped his face as she dove back in. Bucky moaned into his mouth as one hand worked its way up into her hair. Sam started to guide her back towards the garage without parting, but Bucky stumbled and they had to break away, urgently grabbing at hips and shoulders so she wouldn’t fall. Bucky panted as she stared at him, her eyes wide. 

“Maybe we should cool it, huh?” Sam asked. Bucky swallowed and nodded. 

“Probably a good idea.” She glanced at the house. “Someone might be watching.” Sam shuddered and Bucky could feel it through her hands on his shoulders. 

“I definitely don’t want to get up to anything with your family watching.”

“Oh, ugh, yeah. Eww.” Bucky made a face and slid her hand down his arm to take his hand. “This is okay though, right?” 

“More than okay.” He smiled and kissed her hand. “Maybe we should go in though? It’s getting colder.” 

“Yeah, alright. If you can’t take the cold, I guess.” She shrugged and took a step towards the house, glancing at him to see his mouth had dropped open. Bucky gave in and giggled, unable to keep the teasing up once she saw his face. 

“You are…” he trailed off and shook his head. “You’re lucky I like you.” 

“Yeah, I am.” She smiled at him and then pulled away to go start drying her hair. She heard his footsteps following, and when she took the towel off her head, Sam had taken off his shirt and draped his towel around his shoulders, holding it closed at his chest. Her eyes drifted down to his bare skin and then back up. 

“What? It was soaked,” he said innocently, turning to wring out his shirt. Bucky tried to ignore him and squeezed some of the water out of her skirt, only to look up and see him staring at her thighs. Bucky cleared her throat and straightened her skirt out before they ended up back where they’d been when the car honked at them. 

“We can probably have hot chocolate once we get inside. You can borrow some of my clothes, they should fit you fine,” she said, closing the garage door and heading for the door into the house. Sam put the chairs back and followed her, holding his shirt in his hand and keeping the towel closed around his chest. Her sisters and Steve were watching a movie in the living room, the younger girls piled on Steve, so Bucky and Sam crept passed them. Bucky pointed Sam up the stairs and poked her head into the kitchen. 

“Hey Ma? Sam’s clothes are wet so I’m gonna lend him some, can we toss his in the dryer after?” she asked. 

“Sure we can.” Winifred looked at her suspiciously, and Bucky rolled her eyes even as she blushed. 

“We’re not gonna do nothin’, I’m just gonna lend him some clothes.” She fled quietly up the stairs and found Sam already stripped to his boxers. Bucky squeaked and paused in the doorway. 

“Hey, sorry. It was just really uncomfortable. You got some spare sweatpants or something?” 

“Uh. Yeah. I’ll just...get those.” She went over to her dresser and dug out some sweatpants and a plain shirt. “Sorry, they might be a bit, uh, big.” 

“They’ll be fine.” Sam tugged on the shirt and reached for the pants before pausing and looking at her, eyes sharp on her hands. She hadn’t even noticed she was fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, which was dripping slightly around her feet. “You know what? I’ll go change in your bathroom. Let me know when you’re done.” Sam took himself and the clothes into the bathroom and shut the door. Bucky let out a breath when she heard the click of the lock. She quickly stripped out of her wet clothes, dried herself as best she could with the towel, and changed into her safe-for-company pajamas. She knocked on the door when she was done and Sam opened it. He scratched the back of his head and gestured to the tub, where he’d tossed his wet clothes. 

“Uh, what should I do with those?” 

“We can throw them in the dryer so they’ll be ready for you later.” 

“Cool, okay.” He grabbed them up and Bucky collected her own wet clothes, leading the way back down the stairs to the laundry room. Bucky draped her dress over the washer and had Sam throw his clothes in the machine, fiddling with it before she started it up. 

“Do you...want to go watch a movie with the others? I think Ma was starting dinner.” 

“We can still have hot chocolate while we wait, right?” 

“Yeah, of course.” Sam caught her hand when she went to leave the room and tugged her in for a quick kiss. 

“Since we’re gonna be in front of your family soon, just one more,” he murmured. Bucky grinned and kissed him again, brushing her fingers up and down his arm. He stepped back after a moment. “Come on. I think I hear a blanket calling my name.” He led the way back to the kitchen, where Winifred already had hot chocolate waiting for them. They accepted their mugs with thanks and a kiss to the cheek from Bucky, and then went to find a seat in the living room. The others were already sprawled across the furniture, so Bucky handed her mug to Sam, scooped Rachel off the loveseat and stuck her with Steve on the couch, and grabbed a blanket. Sam sat down and held the mugs carefully out of the way as Bucky sat next to him and draped the blanket over their laps. He handed her mug back once she was settled. 

“Thanks.” She kissed his cheek and cuddled close to his side. Bucky barely knew what movie was on, starting to feel warm and sleepy cuddled with Sam and a hot drink. She roused herself for dinner, during which she held Sam’s hand under the table, and gathered up her courage near the end. 

“Ma? Can Sam stay the night?” she asked. The table fell silent as everyone looked at her. Bucky bit her lip and fidgeted. 

“Where is he going to sleep?” Winifred asked. 

“In...my bed...with me,” she mumbled. 

“Ooooooh,” Alice started, Georgie and Rachel joining in. Bucky felt her face go hot and she ducked her head to stare at her plate. 

“That’s enough, girls,” George said. Bucky glanced up to see her parents sharing a look. “I trust that you’re not going to do anything tonight but sleep.” 

“As long as Sam gets permission from his parents,” Winifred said. Sam had his phone out almost before she was finished, sending off a text. “What about you, Steve?” 

“Uh, I’m good on the couch. I don’t think I’ll want to share the room with them, too much,” he waved his hand, “love in the air.” Alice giggled at him. Sam’s phone pinged.

“My mom said yes,” he reported, squeezing Bucky’s hand. 

“Alright. Steve, you know where the spare blankets are,” Winifred said more than asked. 

“Yes’m. Upstairs hall closet.”

“Don’t you kids stay up too late.” 

“Okay Ma.” Bucky hurried to finish her dinner and waited until Sam was done to clear their plates. She paused then, going around and wishing her family goodnight, and catching Steve in a hug. 

“You know I love you, right?” she muttered. 

“Yeah, yeah. Go make out with your boyfriend.” He hugged her back, squeezing tight, and Bucky kissed his head before taking Sam’s hand and going upstairs. They took turns in the bathroom, brushing their teeth and getting ready for sleep. Bucky got into bed first, biting her lip as she waited for Sam. He didn’t hesitate to crawl in and settle right against her, throwing his arm over her waist. Bucky let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. 

“Goodnight, Sam.” 

“Goodnight Bucky.” He leaned over and kissed her and then rested his head on her shoulder. She nuzzled closer and closed her eyes, smiling so wide she thought her face might split. Feeling Sam’s breath on her neck and his arm around her waist, it didn’t take long at all for her to fall asleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Here](http://rebootkirk.tumblr.com/post/165915209371/high-school-au-sambucky-moodboard-for) is the art for this fic! Go check it out!

The day of the dance dawned bright and full of screaming. Bucky was startled awake as Alice, Georgie, and Rachel all launched themselves onto her bed. 

“It’s today, it’s today, it’s today!” they shrieked. Bucky tried to avoid getting any tender bits stepped on and ended up with a knee to the kidney for her efforts. 

“Girls!” Winifred barked from the door. “Get off of your sister or she’ll be going to the dance wearing bruises to match her dress!” Bucky swatted at them with her pillow, still curled up trying to protect herself. Rachel flopped across her feet and Alice sat by her shoulders while Georgie bounced right off the bed as Becca stormed in. 

“What are you doing? Bucky needed her sleep! She’s going to be up late tonight! She shouldn’t be yawning through her big date!” The three younger girls turned sheepish and innocent looks on Becca, who put her hands on her hips. “We didn’t go through all this effort just to have you ruin it!” 

“Becca, that’s enough,” Winifred said sharply. “Your sisters just got excited.” 

“They could’ve hurt Bucky,” Becca said angrily. The two women glared at each other, and the four sisters tried hiding in Bucky’s bed. Georgie shrieked again when Maria reached out and grabbed her ankle from her bed on the floor. She set Rachel to screaming again, and soon Winifred was breaking off the staring contest to herd the younger girls from the room. Maria sat up with a glare already firmly in place. She and Sharon Carter had spent the night so the four of them could help each other get ready the next day. Sharon had bunked down in Becca’s room in a pile of cushions and blankets, while Maria had a thick sleeping bag she’d unrolled on Bucky’s floor. 

“I’m so glad I don’t have a ton of sisters,” Maria said, her voice rough. 

“Sorry,” Bucky winced. 

“It’s not your fault.” Maria climbed out of her bed and into Bucky’s, dragging her pillow with her, and reached up to pin down one of the curlers that had started to come loose in Bucky’s hair. “But I’m going back to sleep.” With that done, she flopped over Bucky and snuggled down under the blankets with her back to the wall. Bucky chuckled and watched her for a minute before lying down again herself. 

Bucky woke again a while later with hair in her mouth and Maria snoring into her shoulder, arm tossed over her chest and a leg draped over her lap. Bucky carefully disentangled herself and went into the bathroom, checking to make sure all her curlers were still in place as she brushed her teeth. Maria barged in before she was done, grumbling the whole way over to the toilet. Bucky quickly rinsed and ducked out to give her some privacy. Sharon was yawning into Becca’s shoulder, both of them sitting on Bucky’s bed even though they hadn’t been there a little while ago. Sharon’s hair was also done up in curlers. 

Bucky climbed back onto the bed and leaned into Becca’s other shoulder, wrapping an arm around her waist so that her hand ended up on Sharon’s hip. They stayed that way until Maria stumbled back out of the bathroom and started changing her clothes. 

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Maria said, eyeing them. “We’d better get started on it now.” 

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Come on, Sharon, let’s go get dressed.” Becca dragged the girl up and out of the room, Sharon’s face still pressed to her shoulder.

Alice took the opportunity to bounce through the open door and close it behind her, settling on Bucky’s bed just as Bucky was getting up to change her own clothes.

“I wish I could go,” Alice said wistfully.

“You’ll get your chance,” Bucky soothed, briefly considering a tshirt before switching her nightgown for a pale pink button up.

“Don’t grow up too fast,” Maria said. “Pretty soon we’ll have to be dealing with taxes and bills and other gross adult things.” Alice wrinkled her nose and Bucky chuckled as she pulled on some jeans over her shorts.

“You ready, Maria?” Bucky asked, checking herself in the mirror. Maria tied her hair back into a bun and nodded firmly.

“Let’s roll out.”

~~

Sam, Steve, and Riley didn’t really get up until nearly noon. They were sprawled out in Steve’s living room, the tv on low as they yawned and gradually dragged themselves upright. They had been up late the night before, which, in hindsight, might’ve been a mistake. Riley called dibs on the shower and Steve went to go start the coffeemaker, yawning over his cereal. They didn’t see Riley again for an hour, the two of them muttering to each other over breakfast.

“Do you think he fell in?” Steve asked at one point, and Sam snorted.

“You want to go check on him?”

“…It’s so far away.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Riley emerged squeaky clean and perky with his hair already styled in bleach blond spikes. He was wearing a loose tank top and shorts, and Sam noticed that Steve had trouble dragging his eyes away. Sam raised his eyebrows and Steve turned pink.

“Shut up,” he muttered. “Hope you left me some warm water, Underhill,” he said louder, heading off to take his own shower while Riley set to the breakfast cereal. By the time Sam finished with his shower, Riley was dressed and was helping Steve style his hair, making it more interesting than his usual look but less spiky than Riley’s own hair. Sam was just glad he kept his short enough to not worry about it. The rest of the afternoon seemed to fly by, and then it was time for them to go meet the girls. Sam smoothed down his tie and took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves. Riley put his hands on Sam’s shoulders and smiled at him in the mirror.

“It’s gonna be awesome. Come on, let’s go or we’ll be late.”

~~

Sam found his nervousness amping up the closer they got to the Barnes house. Even Steve reaching over to hold his hand didn’t help. He had to stay sitting in the car for a minute when Mrs. Underdahl pulled up to the house. Riley didn’t have a problem with it, since his date wasn’t actually there, and Steve just gave his hand a gentle tug to urge him out of the car.

“Make sure you get good pictures, boys!” Mrs. Underdahl said before she drove away. The parents had graciously allowed them to get themselves to the dance once they were all gathered at the Barnes house, so she had no reason to stick around. Sam kept a hold on Steve’s hand as they walked up to the door behind Riley.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick,” Steve murmured.

“F-fine,” Sam said. Riley was already knocking on the door. He didn’t have time to be sick. Mrs. Barnes opened the door with a smile, ushering them in.

“You’re early! That’s good! The twins are still getting ready, they’ll be down in a minute. Sam, I have your boutonniere in the kitchen, come here and we’ll get it on you. And may I say, you young men look dashing.” Riley and Steve chuckled and steered Sam forward. Mrs. Barnes led him into the kitchen, plucking the flower from inside the fridge and pinning it to his pocket with a look of concentration. She smoothed her hands over his shoulders and straightened his tie before smiling up at him. “Goodness, you two are going to make quite a pair! You look very handsome.”

“Thanks,” Sam managed to squeeze out.

“Nervous?” she asked knowingly. Sam just nodded. “Bucky is too. Having the girls here has really helped her. I think once you see each other you’ll feel much better. Now come on, I want to make sure my camera is ready before they come down.” She steered him back out to wait with Steve and Riley, who had been joined in the meantime by Thor, who was Steve’s date, T’Challa, and Mr. Sanderson, who had driven them over. Steve was blushing lightly as Thor held his hand, grinning down at him. Mr. Sanderson swept in to hug Mrs. Barnes, and Sam tried to remember exactly how they were related as he eyed T’Challa. (He had a goatee. Should Sam have tried to grow a goatee?) He was distracted by a clatter at the top of the stairs and all of their heads turned as one in that direction. He was vaguely aware of Mrs. Barnes getting her camera up as the girls started down the stairs.

Maria and Sharon came first, Sharon in a pink princess dress and Maria in a slim black one. Maria’s hair was pinned back similar to her usual strict bun, but she was smiling as she tweaked one of Sharon’s bouncy blonde curls. Sam almost didn’t recognize her with a smile on. They posed for the camera on the stairs a few times, kissing each other’s cheeks, and Sam tried not to fidget with impatience until they had come down the rest of the way. Becca peeked around the railing and waved, T’Challa waving back before she ducked out of sight.

Sam gasped as Bucky appeared at the top of the stairs and brought his hands up to his mouth. Seeing a picture of the dress on a hangar was nothing like seeing her wearing it in person. She looked _radiant_. The azure dress was cinched at the waist with a silver decoration, the top of it hugging her curves and miraculously staying in place even though it looked strapless. (Sam would never figure out how girls managed that.) She had a gauzy shawl draped across her shoulders that matched the dress, a short silver necklace, and her lips were painted red. Sam licked his own lips at the sight. Bucky smiled and lifted her full skirt to walk down the stairs, revealing silver shoes and black stockings beneath. She had a few curls framing her face, and when she got closer, he could see that part of her hair was up in a braid that followed the right side of her head to end in a messy bun with the rest of her hair at the back of her head.

Following his instinct, Sam stepped forward and held out his hand, and Bucky beamed at him. She let go of her dress with one hand so she could take it, letting him help her down the remaining steps. Her nails were painted the same blue as her dress with silver tips. Sam brought her hand up to kiss the back of it, keeping his eyes on hers all the while. Bucky blushed and bit her lip as she smiled at him. Becca followed her down as they stepped away from the stairs, but Sam barely noticed. He took both of Bucky’s hands in his, staring at her awestruck. Bucky giggled and leaned down, kissing him softly. Sam let his eyes close and leaned into it, squeezing her hands. Someone cleared their throat nearby and Bucky pulled away.

“You look gorgeous,” Sam murmured. Bucky seemed like she was glowing from within.

“Thanks,” she whispered. “You look nice too.” Sam didn’t care about that as much; no one was going to be looking at him when he walked into the dance with Bucky on his arm.

“Let’s get some pictures!” Mrs. Barnes said nearby, startling him into remembering there were other people in the room. Steve, Riley, and Becca were all smirking at him before they allowed Mrs. Barnes to shuffle them around. Sam stuck close to Bucky, keeping his hold on her hand, and only regretfully let go when Mrs. Barnes wanted boys-only and girls-only pictures. Eventually they all shuffled outside to the waiting cars. Bucky and Becca were both going to drive, since Mr. Barnes had graciously let them use his car. Riley headed for the car with Bucky and Sam. Bucky waited for Becca to move out of the way first.

“Becca’s so pretty, isn’t her dress pretty?” she sighed, watching in the mirror.

“Um…” Sam glanced in the mirror, but the car was at the wrong angle for him to see. “I may not have noticed? What color is her dress?” he asked. Bucky stared at him and then leaned over, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him soundly. Sam made a noise of surprise and kissed back, leaning into her and having to remind himself not to touch her hair for fear he’d mess it up.

“…Are we gonna go anytime soon?” Riley asked in the backseat. Sam tilted his head to deepen the kiss, his hand settling on her waist. “…No? Okay, I’ll let my date know we’ll be a few minutes late.” Even the sound of Riley texting didn’t break them out of it until he started narrating it. “Gonna…be…late. Bucky…and…Sam are…sucking…face.” Bucky snorted and broke away, putting her hands over her face as she giggled. “Wow, a whole minute.” Bucky snorted again and leaned forward to rest her head on the steering wheel, shoulders shaking with her laughter. They stared at her for a minute and then Sam turned to Riley.

“You broke my girlfriend,” he said accusingly. Riley lifted his hands defensively.

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Bucky said, waving her hands before putting the car in gear to get moving. “Geez, I love you.” Sam froze but Bucky didn’t seem to notice, too busy driving and stifling more giggles. Sam turned to look at Riley, whose eyes were wide. So he didn’t imagine it. Bucky didn’t seem to realize what she’d said, so Sam decided not to mention it, sitting back in his seat for the drive. When they got to the school, everyone was already waiting for them on the sidewalk. Several of them were shivering already, so they hurried to get out of the car and follow the group into the school, where they met Riley’s date.

“Diana! There you are,” he said, going over to kiss her cheek. She was tall, with tan skin and dark hair, in a dress that was a few shades lighter blue than Bucky’s. Sam took the opportunity to look around at the rest of the group and see what they were wearing since he hadn’t noticed before.

“So Becca’s in green,” Sam murmured to Bucky. She smiled at him like she was going to kiss him again, and Sam felt hopeful until Becca started ushering them to the doors into the gym. There was momentary confusion as dates got separated and found again, and then Maria hooked Sharon’s arm in hers and they marched into the gym together, Sharon beaming despite Maria acting like she was walking to the gallows instead of to a date. Thor took Steve’s hand and followed, and that seemed to set a pattern of them walking in as couples. Riley shot a wink to Sam and took his turn with Diana, leaving Becca, T’Challa, Sam, and Bucky. Becca gave them a once over and straightened Bucky’s necklace and Sam’s tie before grinning and going into the gym with T’Challa.

“This feels like the Yule Ball,” Bucky murmured as they watched her go.

“Does that make you my Ravenclaw darling?” Sam asked. Bucky blushed and grinned.

“Becca is kind of Slytherin today, isn’t she?” Sam nodded and plucked at his jacket.

“Lilac isn’t exactly a Hogwarts house color though,” he said ruefully. Bucky took his hand and held it between her own.

“I don’t care. It can be our house color.” She leaned in and kissed him, soft and sweet, and then tucked her hand into his elbow. “Let’s go in before I lose my nerve.” Sam patted her hand and started forward, Bucky lifting her chin as they walked through the doors. The procession had gained attention, and several people were watching as they walked in. Many of them immediately started whispering with their neighbors, and Sam felt Bucky’s steps falter.

“They’re just jealous of how beautiful you look,” he muttered, leading her to where Maria had staked out a couple tables. “Do you want to dance first or sit?”

“Sit,” she said immediately. Sam guided her into a chair.

“I’ll go get us something to drink, okay?” he offered. Bucky nodded as Becca started over. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “Be right back.” Sam headed for the punch table, sending a significant look to Riley, who nodded back. He’d taken his date straight to the dance floor and they were already getting attention. As soon as Sam stopped at the table, he was surrounded. 

~~

Bucky bit her lip in nervousness as soon as Sam disappeared from her sight in the crowd. Becca was at her side in the next instant, pulling up the chair next to her.

“Are you okay?” Becca asked, taking her hand. Bucky nodded and glanced after Sam.

“Everyone’s staring and talking about me,” she whispered, Becca having to lean forward to hear her over the music.

“Do you need to get out of here for a moment?”

“No…not without Sam.” 

Becca nodded and sat up straight, looking around for him. Bucky pointed towards the drinks table, and T’Challa, who Bucky hadn’t noticed hovering nearby, headed in that direction.

“There, he’ll be back soon,” Becca said, patting her hand. Steve came over, looking concerned.

“You okay, Buck?” he asked. Bucky sighed in relief as Sam elbowed his way out of the crowd with T’Challa at his side, looking disgruntled. He set two cups of punch on the table and stood close enough to press his hip into her shoulder, pinching the bridge of his nose. Bucky wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head against his side until he blew out a breath.

“They didn’t even recognize you,” he started. “They had no idea who you were. That bunch over there wanted to find out about you. ‘Who’s your date, Sam? Why is everyone bringing dates from different schools? Aren’t the girls here good enough for you, Wilson?’ Idiots.” He mocked in a high, whiny tone.

“What did you tell them?” Bucky asked softly.

“That you’re Bucky, my girlfriend. Bucky Barnes. It still took them a minute to catch on, but then they were like ‘We thought you hated each other! How long has this been happening?!’”

“To be fair, I thought you hated me too,” she murmured. Sam stared down at her.

“Clearly I was wrong to behave that way.” He dragged another chair over to sit by her and held her hand, knocking back one of the cups like there was something stronger than juice in it. “I don’t even know why I’m so mad!”

“Because you’re a good boyfriend,” Becca said. “You two relax, enjoy the dance, and the rest of us will run interference. We won’t let anyone bother you.”

“Thanks, Becks,” Bucky said. Becca smiled and leaned over to kiss her cheek, and then she spun away with T’Challa. Sam was nearly gritting his teeth, so Bucky gently took the cup from his hand and set it on the table, getting his attention. “Come dance with me?” she asked, tilting her head and offering a small smile. Sam blew out a breath and nodded. They got up and headed out to the dance floor, near where Riley and Diana were dancing, along with Maria and Sharon. There was a moment of hesitation as they realized they hadn’t planned that far, and then Sam chuckled and put his hands innocently on her waist, thumbs brushing the ribbon that crossed her middle. Bucky smiled and set her hands lightly on his shoulders and let him guide her through the dance, doing a small shuffle around the floor. They passed close enough for Riley to lean in like he was going to ask to cut in, but Sam lifted his shoulders to block him out and quickly spun her away. Bucky couldn’t help laugh at Sam’s obvious desire to keep her all to himself. She smiled and moved one hand to the back of his head, scratching her fingers lightly through his hair until he shivered.

“I love you,” she murmured. “Really, I do. I don’t expect you to say it back if you’re not ready, I know it’s early. I just wanted you to know.” Sam’s eyes were big in his face, and he swallowed audibly. He leaned up and she answered his wordless request for a kiss, pressing their lips together softly.

“I don’t know what I feel,” he said quietly, a quiver in his voice. She brushed her hand against his jaw and smiled.

“That’s okay. You have time to figure it out. I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to.”

“You’re amazing,” Sam breathed, and Bucky felt her face growing warm. She leaned in and kissed him again, their dancing gradually getting slower until they were doing little more than shifting in place as they kissed. They separated when the song ended and a fast one started up, and they quickly headed back to their table. Sam’s face looked more red than usual, and Bucky felt happy she could inspire that kind of reaction in him. A handful of girls joined them at their table, and the smiles instantly fell off their faces as they clutched at each other’s hand.

“You’re Bucky?” one of them asked. Bucky glanced nervously at Sam, who was glaring.

“Why don’t you leave us alone, Ashley?” he said.

“We’re just curious!” she said defensively. “We didn’t know Becca had an older sister.”

“Maybe she didn’t want you prying into her private life.” Sam was full of righteous fire, and Bucky squeezed his hand. 

“Maybe you can ask Becca about it?” Bucky offered softly. “I really don’t feel like talking about it right now, she can answer your questions. I just want tonight to be special.” The girls all glanced at each other, looking hesitant, and then put smiles on their faces. 

“Well, okay then. Enjoy your night!” They gathered themselves up and left, and Bucky sighed and slumped against Sam’s shoulder in relief. He kissed her cheek and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. 

“That was a good way to get rid of them,” he said. 

“I just told the truth.” 

“Still. I want tonight to be about you and me, not about other people.” 

Bucky smiled and leaned up to kiss him. “You want to go dance again?” 

“In a minute.” He kissed her again, keeping her close, before they stood up. Sam left his jacket on his chair, and after a moment, Bucky took off her shawl and shoes to be closer to his height before leading him out into the darkened dance floor. She rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and he hesitated before wrapping his arms tight around her waist, nuzzling against her cheek and neck. They stayed like that for three songs, ignoring the fast one in the middle, and Bucky let the tension slowly seep out of her. She was wrapped up safe in the arms of the boy she loved. She could let go for a little while. 

They headed back to their table after a few more songs and moved their chairs as close together as possible, their clasped hands resting on Sam’s knee. They were left alone this time, no swarms of girls descending. Then, just as Sam was hoping the rest of the night would go smoothly, a bunch of guys approached the table from different directions. Bucky pressed harder into his shoulder, biting her lip. Some of them were Sam’s own teammates, but the others he couldn’t identify, though they looked familiar. There was a brief scuffle over seats before they settled, a curly haired guy with glasses taking the seat next to Bucky. Trip turned the chair closest to Sam and sat in it backwards, resting his arms on the top.

“Wilson, you’ve had a girlfriend all this time and never told us? Not cool, man,” Trip said, gesturing at the two of them. 

“It’s not his fault,” Bucky said before Sam could reply. “I asked him to keep it a secret. I don’t...like a lot of attention on me.”

“So Underdahl was right about you being shy.” 

Bucky nodded. “Yeah.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Trip said, eyeing her in a way that made Sam want to cover her with his jacket. “You clean up real nice, Barnes.” She blushed and ducked her head again, glancing at Sam.

“Please don’t hit on my girlfriend, Triplett,” Sam said protectively. Trip lifted his hands innocently.

“Why didn’t you join the debate team, or the science fairs?” another boy asked. Stark, maybe? He looked like he was about to vibrate out of his chair, and Sam was glad Curly-Hair was between him and Bucky.

“The debate team is boys only, and I have sisters that I have to watch after school sometimes. I couldn’t do the science fairs.”

“Didn’t you want to? I know you’re a nerd, Barnes, your grades are too good not to be—”

“Hey,” Sam started.

“Tony, don’t push her,” Curly-Hair said.

“It’s alright Sam. Thanks, Bruce,” Bucky said, squeezing Sam’s hand and reaching out to pat Curly-Hair's arm. “The science fairs did seem like fun, but like I said. I have to watch my sisters after school sometimes.” Stark frowned, not seeming satisfied with that.

“How long have you two been dating?” Trip cut in before Stark could start up again.

“Since…a few weeks after homecoming?” Sam glanced at Bucky to make sure, and she nodded. “She asked me to come to this dance only about a week after that one. It’s been great.” They leaned in at the same time for a quick kiss, smiling at each other.

“Wait so, she asked _you_ out?”

“It was complicated, okay?” Sam waved his hand and Trip and the other boys snickered at him.

“You two make a lovely couple,” Bruce said.

“Thanks Bruce.” Bucky smiled at him.

“You could always join the quiz team!” Peter Parker said, popping out of nowhere to lean over Stark’s shoulder.

“Man, what are you even doing here? Aren’t you, like, twelve?” Trip asked.

“I’m fifteen!”

“You’re a baby. Shoo, the grown ups are talking,” Stark said.

“Aren’t you also fifteen?” Bruce asked. Stark clutched at his chest.

“You wound me! I thought you were my friend, Banner!” Bruce rolled his eyes and stood up, herding Stark and Parker before him.

“At least think about it, Bucky,” he said as they left.

“Friends!” Thor boomed, approaching the table with Steve. “Is this not a glorious night?” 

Sam and Bucky both eyed their clasped hands, and Steve turned pink as they took the empty seats.

“You don’t get to bug me about it, okay,” he muttered, looking pointedly at their own hands.

“How did two guys ending up going to a girl’s choice dance together?” Trip’s cousin Gabe asked.

“Fate!” Thor said with a grin. “Steven was trying to escape a girl who was being too persistent, so I pretended I was his date already, and then we decided to go together for real! Isn’t he handsome?” Steve turned more pink as Thor beamed at him with pride.

“Aw, your knight in shining armor,” Bucky grinned at Steve. He just rolled his eyes and kept blushing.

“I am very glad he agreed to go with me.” Thor leaned in and kissed Steve’s cheek, and Sam couldn’t help snickering at the face his friend made.

“Can I borrow your date, Thor? I want to dance with my friend,” Bucky said. Thor graciously gave Steve’s hand over to her, and Bucky tugged him out onto the dance floor. As soon as they were out of hearing range and it was just the guys who were on the football team, Thor dropped his Shakespeare voice and leaned his chin on his fist.

“They’re both really cute though. We scored,” he said, holding his other fist out towards Sam. Sam snorted and bumped it with his own. “Steve is very nice to hold.” Trip wolf whistled at him and Thor grinned.

“You be nice to him, Thor. Steve’s my friend,” Sam said with just a hint of warning.

“Oh I plan to be _very_ nice to him. Nice enough that you may not see him for the rest of the weekend.” 

They all ended up laughing, Sam reluctantly joining in. Steve and Bucky returned after a few minutes and Steve dropped himself into Thor’s lap, face red. Thor put his hands on Steve’s hips and leaned down to murmur in his ear. Bucky looked like the cat that got the cream as she took Sam’s hand again. Trip and Gabe’s dates, Skye and America Chavez respectively, dragged them back to the dance floor, and Thor swept Steve off to the snack table a moment later, leaving them alone again.

“I asked Steve if he needed condoms,” Bucky said with a smirk. “Apparently he already has some.” Sam raised his eyebrows.

“He came prepared for that?”

“I get the feeling he didn’t plan to use them himself.” She settled closer and tugged Sam’s arm over her shoulders. He moved his other hand to her stomach, and she covered it with her own. “He probably meant to play condom fairy and offer them to us, or whoever looked like they might need one.” Sam nuzzled into Bucky’s hair to hide his blush and then paused to sniff it. She smelled really good, like raspberries. “Becca’s got plenty to hand out too.”

“I don’t want to think about your sister that way. She scares me,” Sam admitted. Bucky giggled and Sam could feel it, her belly jumping under his hand. He smiled against her ear. “You’re so cute.” He ducked his head to kiss her neck and her giggles cut off with a gasp.

“Sam…”

“Yeah, babe?” He could see Bucky bite her lip as he kissed her neck again, slightly higher than before.

“Let’s go dance some more,” she said finally, sitting up and pulling out of his arms. Sam frowned until she turned so he could see the way she was blushing. That obviously hadn’t been the first thought on her mind, but though he could take a guess, Sam didn’t think he was ever going to know what she had really wanted to say.

“Alright, let’s go dance.” He took her hand and stood, letting her slip her shoes back on before walking out on the floor. It was a faster song, so they found a group of their friends and joined in, all of them bouncing and singing along to the music. They naturally gravitated towards each other when the music slowed again, but Riley slipped in between them.

“Gonna borrow your girl, thanks!” he said, sweeping Bucky away even as Sam protested. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and Sam turned to see Diana. 

“Hello,” she said with a smile. 

“You don’t mind him dancing with someone else?” Sam asked even as he extended a hand to her. Diana took his hand and stepped close to put her other hand on his shoulder. 

“Oh, no. Riley is just a friend. I was supposed to come with Steve Trevor, but he had a family emergency and couldn’t make it,” she said as they began dancing. 

“Aren’t they related?” 

“Cousins, yes. One of Steve’s other grandparents passed away, he had to go to the funeral.” 

“Oh, um. I’m sorry,” Sam said awkwardly. Diana just smiled at him. 

“I’ll send your condolences to him.” 

“Uh, okay.” They remained silent until Riley and Bucky came looking for them. Sam reached for Bucky, but Pepper swooped in and spun her away. 

“Sorry, my turn now!” she called back. 

“Aw man, come on,” Sam complained, watching his girlfriend get taken away again. He glanced over to see Tony standing next to him. “I am not dancing with you, don’t even think about it.” Tony held his hands up. 

“You seem grumpy. Why don’t you go get yourself a snack, Romeo, your blood sugar might be dropping.” 

Sam glared at him and stomped off to the snack table. T’Challa was standing there already, poking at the offerings. 

“Odd-looking trail mix?” T’Challa offered, holding out a bowl. Sam eyed the contents cautiously. 

“No thanks, I’m allergic to bananas.” 

“Probably for the best.” T’Challa frowned at the bowl and then tucked it out of sight behind a larger bowl of chips. “You seem tense. Anything I can do?”

Sam tilted his head back and let out a slow breath through his nose before reaching for a plate. “Just frustrated.” 

“I understand. I can cause a distraction if you like? Get you some time to be with your date. There is a high amount of energy in this room. It can wear you out.” 

“You’re not kidding,” Sam said. T’Challa eyed him thoughtfully. 

“Get something to eat for you and her and go back to the table. I will take care of it.” He walked away without another word, and Sam frowned after him for a moment before following his advice. He’d only been at the table for a minute before Bucky rejoined him, flushed and breathless. 

“Pepper sure can dance,” she said, guzzling her drink. “Miss me?” 

“Yes,” Sam said honestly. Bucky paused and leaned over to kiss him. 

“Sorry,” she said, contrite. She glanced around the gym and then dug in her purse for her phone to check the time. “Give it another half hour and we can go if you want.” 

“Alright, I’ll think about it.” Sam pushed some of the snacks over and Bucky happily started eating, propping her legs up on his lap. He rubbed one hand up and down her calf before a commotion on the dance floor drew their attention. The crowd cleared just enough for them to see that Gabe Jones and Jim Morita were dancing with each other instead of their dates, and had moved in for a kiss, holding each other tightly. Sam’s eyebrows shot up his forehead and he looked around for their dates. Kate and America didn’t seem to be very put out to be ditched and after a minute, they also leaned in and kissed each other. Sam glanced over to see Bucky’s expression mirroring his. 

“Wow,” Bucky said after a moment. “This school is more gay than I thought.” Sam chuckled and turned his attention back to the food. He didn’t know if T’Challa was responsible for that, but it took most of the attention off of him and Bucky. They soon finished their snacks and then they headed back out onto the dance floor. They joined their friends for a few other group dances, mixed in with more slow dances, and when the half hour was up, they let their friends know they were leaving and headed out to the car. Riley had winked when Sam told him they were leaving and said he could get a ride from Diana’s aunt without a problem. Sam just reolled his eyes at him. 

Bucky had switched keys with her sister, so she was driving her dad’s car, which was smaller and cleaner. They had decided to rent a hotel room for the night, and had made reservations a few days before. Neither one knew how far they would go, they just wanted to spend the time together. They each had an overnight bag packed that had been stowed in the car earlier that day. When they arrived, Sam went and checked in while Bucky parked the car, and then they headed upstairs together. The hotel room was cozy. Sam went and looked out the window and then adjusted the heating system. When he turned around, Bucky was standing nervously by the bed, fidgeting with her shawl. 

“Hey. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want,” Sam said soothingly. “I’m not gonna push you.” Bucky dropped her shawl and reached out for him, and he walked into her arms. She kicked off her shoes and hugged him tight. “I do want to lie down though,” he murmured into her shoulder. Bucky pulled away and smiled. Sam kicked off his own shoes and took off his jacket before flopping onto the bed, wiggling around to get comfortable. He held his arms out to Bucky. She bit her lip and pulled her skirt up to her knees so she wouldn’t get tangled up in it when she crawled onto the bed, and she settled in his arms. Sam smiled and kissed her, setting one hand on her knee and rubbing circles with his thumb. He gradually moved higher up her leg, and as soon as she faltered in the kiss, he moved his hand back down. 

“How about we get ready for bed? I’m getting kinda tired,” he said. 

“Okay.” Bucky kissed him once more and rolled away, reaching up to take off her necklace and put it on the side table. Sam grabbed his bag and headed into the bathroom, changing into pajamas and doing his business, and then switch with Bucky, who had taken off her stockings and let down her hair while waiting. He caught her for a kiss as they passed in the doorway. Sam got comfortable in bed and waited. When she came out, her face was clean and she was in loose pajamas, biting her lip which was no longer red with lipstick. Sam held out a hand to her, and she smiled and climbed in next to him, cuddling close. Sam reached over and turned out the light. 

“Goodnight, beautiful.” 

“Goodnight, Sam.” They shared one last kiss and then slowly drifted off to sleep. 


End file.
